Blood Trail of Alucard
by pta917
Summary: Alucard, one of the 41 members of Ainz Ooal Gown, a warrior vampire known for having strength to match even it's the guilds mightiest warriors. Follow as he accompanies Momonga on their journey through the New World.
1. The New World

Two minutes remained for the shutdown of YGGDRASIL, when another one of the 41 members of Ainz Ooal Gown managed to login, his name was Alucard and he was a True Vampire. He stood as tall as his guild master Momonga, his hair was long and sliver hanging freely down his back, his skin was sickly pale and his eyes blood red with snake like pupils. Alucard was wearing his Blood Armor, a Divine Class armor, it had a crystal-like texture to it shinning with light, it was colored dark red and had engravings of an imposing dragon all over it. Both hands and feet ended in the dragon's claws, on the back were the depictions of wings and on the chest the horned visage of the beast. To his left was his strongest weapon, Shi a katana made in a black metal with a hilt wrapped in a red cloth, it was an object crafted by himself in order to compete with even the strongest warriors.

Alucard looked around, first he was relieved to have been able to login in time to witness the end second, he facepalmed to have forgotten he wasn't in Nazarik the last time he was here. He had been sent to a forest fort, a place normally used as a safe zone for socialization and trade. Summoning the holographic clock, he confirmed that indeed time was quickly ending, the fort was empty now but a shell of what it once was, Alucard leaned against a wall letting his body fall into the ground where he took a seat.

Maybe he should go back to Nazarik, it would be a better way to end this than in some abandoned fort, in the Tomb there could still be some other guild members or even NPCs would be better than this. However, time wasn't on his side, closing his eyes he let the clock count down, the best he could do now was be forced out of the game by the shutdown, then there would be no burden of having abandoned YGGDRASIL.

* * *

Jack Briefs, here known as Alucard, counted the seconds in his mind, this was the first time he would logout via shutdown so he wondered if it would be uncomfortable, one second remaining, a small pause, zero. Nothing happened, Jack opened his eyes and was surprised by what he saw, he was no longer in a fort, he somehow was now leaning against a tree in the middle of a completely alien forest.

The vampire got back up, he made a 360 turn to take in his surroundings, this forest was in fact different not because it looked to strange, it was the other way around, the trees the grass, the night sky all looked too normal. A sudden gust of air lifted several of fallen leaf's in his direction, such thing caused Alucard to place his hand in front of his face waving away such annoying distraction.

"Wind!?" he gasped in a low tone, his voice was slightly deeper than he remembered

"What?" he continued, now focusing on his voice and how soothing it was

His left-hand wen up to his face, he felt the contours it was different, then it traveled to his head lifting some of his long strands of hair. His eyes went to the silver hair being held in his hand, how strange it looked just like his avatar, a sudden realization came into mind but it was too ridiculous to even consider. So, he tested it out, letting go of his hair he placed a finger in his mouth, his eyes widened when his suspicions became a reality, he now had fangs just like a vampire.

"I'm not paid enough for this." he sighed, facepalming

Alucard let out a frustrated groan, this made no sense he had been transported somewhere else and seemingly had been turned into his avatar. Thinking about game mechanics, he knew that two things were impossible touch and smell, touch was there, now he would have to test smell. He inhaled deeply, taking in the many fragrances of the forest, the feeling was amazing he could feel every little smell that made up his surroundings. He was hoping this would have failed, the fact that it worked made him think he had been transported into another world where this body was his own.

A troubling thought, while considering the situation and what he should do, Alucard tried everything he could to call a GM, nothing worked. Maybe he should try calling someone he knew, but he wasn't sure if anyone else was online when the shutdown happened, Alucard cursed the fact he hadn't seen who was online when he logged in. Alucard thought of what he would do if this was outside the game, stranded in an unknown situation, with no allies and in possible hostile territory, he would try to escape. Right now, he had not place to escape to, so the second-best thing was to set up camp somewhere else, scout the area and work out a plan from there.

"Where should I go…" he mumbled, once more examining his surroundings

"I guess my body isn't the only thing that changed." Alucard chuckled

Only now had he considered how calm he was in the face of this situation, it wasn't like he normally was a nervous person, but this was something he had never gone through which should puzzle even the most composed of men. Flexing his body and doing some warmup exercises, Alucard was surprised of how good in shape it was, he was almost certain it was impossible to in better shape than he was before, seems like he was wrong.

The vampire's eyes looked through the shadows, he didn't even think of how he was doing this, letting his body do the work for him he searched for any signs of civilization. Finally, he could see in the distance light, possibly some small town or village, letting out an eager hiss he charged forwards. Jack was certain he was running faster than he had ever done before even with the bulky armor the speed this body displayed was incredible, easily more than an athlete, he could only wonder what else it could do.

Stopping midway towards the village, he jumped into the tallest tree he could find, if his eyes didn't mislead him the village should be visible from there. The source of light, had come from torches, the houses were made out of stone and in the center, was a large wooden watchtower. Alucard pondered this new piece of information, the technology here was rudimentary at best, nothing like from where he came from, this village was something more medieval in nature.

The sound of creaking branches brought him back from his thoughts, a sign that the tree could no longer bare his weight, jumping backdown the vampire began to walk into the darkness. He decided not to approach the village, not because something could go wrong but he feared the effect his appearance could have on people. His random wandering made him end up near a cave, it had a small clearing leading to it, looking up the branches of the nearby trees had grown to cover that clearing so during the day it would block most of the light.

Alucard took this moment to smell the air once more, he didn't feel anything inside the cave, for now this could work as a good hideout. It didn't show any clear signs of human activity, which meant he wouldn't have to worry with any unwanted interactions. Going inside, his night vision allowing him to see perfectly in the darkness, he found a "comfortable" clustering of rocks. First thing he did was remove his armor and place it behind some of the rocks, so if anyone would come in they wouldn't see it. Now he was reduced to light brown shorts, his katana and the three rings in his right hand, his keen senses detected something approaching the cave. Sniffing the air. Alucard felt intoxicated by the smell, followed by a strange sensation in his stomach, this could possibly be hunger but what had awakened this feeling in him, finally the cause came into his line of sight, it was a young couple.

The vampire's eyes widened in horror, wrapping his arms around his gut in some uncompressible way to hold himself back, he did his best to stay silent. He was certain that they shouldn't be able to see him that deep into the cave, how foolish could they be to be this far away from the village without any source of light, the Moon could only do so much.

"Are you sure this is safe?" the girl asked, she sounded unsure and worried

"It's fine." the boy reassured, closing the distance between them

Seeing them come together, the obvious reason fell upon Alucard, they risked possibly being attacked by an animal for this, how unsightly.

"Who dares, disturb my rest?" he growled, his hands went to his mouth soon after having spoken without any wish to do so

"Who's there!?" the boy cried out, stepping in front of the girl

"I have chosen this cave to spend the night. I have no wish to share it with a couple of humans in heat!"

"Let's go." the girl pleaded, trying to push the boy away

"Listen to the woman. Go and live another day, that is if you don't speak of this."

The boy was about to give the stranger some courageous remark, when he saw a couple of red orbs glowing from within the cave, his courage was gone like that grabbing on to the girl's hand they ran off. Alucard let out a sigh of relief, but he still had an issue to take care off, his hunger something that had been awoken by their young, healthy, bodies. He needed to find something else to eat before, his vampire nature would force him to make some grave mistake.

Alucard found the necessary relief in in a deer, catching and slaughtering the animal not too far from his temporary home, the poor thing stood no chance as the starved vampire used nothing but his hands and teeth reduced him to shreds. Once more sitting against a tree, he felt thankful to the poor animal he had slaughtered in place of some poor human, all the while looking at his disturbing handy work.

* * *

Momonga was busy trying to figure out how to use the [Mirror of Remote Viewing], when he received an unexpected nock at his door, motioning to Sebas the butler went to open the door.

"Who is it?" he asked

"It is the three Vampire Brides of Alucard-sama." the butler replied

"Let them enter."

Three women entered the room, closing the door behind them, they presented themselves to Momonga in a line, bowing before the Supreme Being. The one in the middle was the older looking one, she seemed to be 25 years old even if her face showed signs of great discipline and experience, her hair was light brown and long, her name was Talia. The one to her right was Touka, she had the appearance of an 18 year old, unlike her sister she had a more mischievous expression, her hair was black going down to her shoulders. The final Bride seemed to be around 14 years of age, she was as tall as Shalltear, with blonde hair that went down her back and blue eyes, her name was Nyx. All of them wore the same pure white dress, and a single ring in their right hand.

"We apologize for disturbing you, Momonga-sama." they said in unison, bowing once more

"There is no need for apologies. I should have gone to check on you three earlier. That aside what brings you here today?" Talia was the one to speak, since she was the oldest of the Brides

"We have spent all this time in Alucard-sama's room, once more we apologize." again they bowed

Momonga did his best not to sigh, he guessed their overwhelming devotion couldn't be helped, taking a better look at them they seemed to have been crying, could this possibly be a sign of mourning for their absent creator.

"You seem to have been crying. Is something the matter?" he asked

"That is the reason that brought us here, when we heard all the Supreme Beings were gone we could not understand. So, we did our best not to contradict those words but…" she began to tear up, however her words had greatly interested Momonga

"But?" she lifted her ring hand

"The signal doesn't stop. The ring says, Alucard-sama is near."

Silence fell upon the room, Momonga's eye sockets were glowing a bright red, his attention was on the ring, the Ring of Bound, four of these existed one for Alucard and the others for his Brides. Their purpose was if for any reason there weren't any means to find Alucard, one could use the Brides to search for the signal emitted by his ring. He did not understand why he wasn't able to contact him, he had tried every possible means of communication, then he remembered. The Ring of Incognito, which hid Alucard from any type of magic that could be used to find, spy or communicate with him, this was one of the reasons the previous ring was necessary, so great was his fellow comrade's paranoia.

"I see. Then why are you here? Certainly, it is not just to tell me this." the ruler of Nazarik asked, his head turning slightly to the side

"We…We wish to go find him."

Momonga had expected her to say something similar to this, it would be risky to send such precious NPCs out into this unknown world. He wanted to avoid this as much as possible, but he was still trying to figure out how the mirror worked and only them could find Alucard. Even with these concerns he knew that if magic still worked like it did in YGGDRASIL, the rings weren't lying Alucard was in this world.

"Can you tell, how far he is?"

"Around 10 km, Momonga-sama." Talia replied

"Then I will allow you to go. Make sure you are equipped with the best equipment you have, there is no need to interact with any one or risk being found. Track the signal and find if it is indeed Alucard, if it is bring him back, if not return immediately we cannot take any unnecessary risks." the change in their expression was obvious, even if they were trying to hide it

"Thank you, Momonga-sama. We will not fail."

* * *

Alucard was resting in the cavern, it had already been a few days since he had arrived and made this cave his shelter, the reason he had yet to move was because of the large number of unknown factors. The calm atmosphere of the cave disappeared when he smelled something approaching the entrance, the smell was strange but not alien, it was similar to his however heavily masked. Since he was hidden behind a rock he was certain whoever it was wouldn't find him, it wasn't like he was worried but what was approaching felt strong and there was definably more than one.

"The signal is coming from there." said a female voice

"So many bones…" pointed out another, she sounded younger and rowdier

"I'm worried." this one sounded like a child

The vampire leaned forward, looking from behind the rock at the new arrivals that had yet to enter the cave. His eyes widened when he saw them, two were of a similar height and the other was much shorter, they were wearing the same clothing. Light black armor made for both speed and agility, their heads was covered by a hood and from the lower half of their back down was a cape.

"Who dares disturb my home?" he growled, wanting to evaluate the situation

"Alucard-sama!" they gasped

"That depends on whoever is asking."

The vampire got back up to his feet, carrying his sheathed katana in his left hand, slowly he began to approach the entrance of the cave. Internally he smiled, these were certainly the NPCs he had created, however he was still unsure of why they had only showed up now.

"Our apologies!" Talia let out, her face blushing before she covered her eyes and Nyx's

"What's your problem?" Touka retorted

"We do not have permission to Alucard-sama's body. Cover your eyes." Talia remarked

Alucard looked down, he was still just wearing the same shorts, seeing her reaction one would think he was naked. Looking at Touka she was fine with it, her gaze was transfixed on his body, something that Alucard did not mind, but also did not outright enjoy.

"Then I will go dress myself." he announced walking back inside the cave

"My apologies…" Talia began to say, but her creator interrupted

"No need."

Shortly after their superior returned, dawning his Blood Armor, looking imposing before his subordinates, internally felt weighted down by the thing.

"Why are you here?" he hissed, eyeing down Talia

"Momonga-sama, gave us permeation to come find you, and bring you back to Nazarik, Alucard-sama."

He couldn't say he was shocked, if anyone was going to stay behind till the shutdown it would be Momonga. The only cause for surprise was that Nazarik had also been transported, in his case the fort where he was did not come with him, could it be that there was something different about the Tomb. The other cause for surprise was the NPCs, they were alive there was no other way to describe it, this made him curious to know what the others that were at Nazarik were like.

"How far are we from Nazarik?"

"Around 10 km." Talia quickly answered

"Then let's get moving. Nyx, open a Gate to take us there."

"Y-Yes. [Gate]." she replied, shyly

The portal opened before them, the group walked through leading them to the entrance of the Great Tomb, Alucard looked around finally it felt like he was home.

* * *

Patting Nyx in the head he walked inside, he passed by many servants who naturally prostrated themselves at the sight of him, something the vampire ignore. Seeing so many servants, going around with such propose, Alucard could only conclude that Momonga was busy making sure Nazarik was prepared for whatever might come. Going down to the first floor of the tomb, vampire couldn't help but feel nostalgic it had been a long time since he had passed through here, and the fact that he wasn't here during the shutdown made him want to explore Nazarik even more.

"Where is the Guardian of this floor?" he shouted, not directing the question to anyone

"We do not know. Momonga…" Talia's words were cut short, by a new female voice

"First, second and third floor Guardian Shalltear Bloodfallen, comes to welcome a returning Alucard-sama."

Alucard's eyes darted in the direction of the voice, the fellow True Vampire who was now charmingly running towards him, before throwing her arms around his neck. Given the different of height she freely hanged from his neck, Alucard stopped for a moment taking in the situation, seeing that this was Peroroncino creation he managed to keep his composure.

"Shalltear-sama, perhaps you would like to let Alucard-sama through. He is in need of some rest and proper food." Talia remarked

Alucard felt a sudden shift in the Guardian's face, she dropped down looked back at his Bride, her expression was now a mixture of outrage and anger.

"And who are you to tell me what I should do!?"

"I am one of his Brides, I will know better than you what his desires are." Talia hissed back, her voice calm but full of venom

"I guess the weak have to be good at something." Shalltear laughed back

"Burn. Is that the best you got, fake boobs?" Touka retorted, Shalltear placed her arms over her bust

"What are you talking about!?"

"It is rather obvious. Wouldn't you agree, Alucard-sama?" Touka looked at her superior and so did a red-faced Guardian

"There is no need to, point out such a thing Touka." Alucard said, before looking down at Shalltear

"First, allow me to thank you for such a warm welcome."

"It is only proper, Alucard-sama. What other way could I have showed my love for the Supreme Being whose beauty rivals even Momonga-sama's." she retorted, licking her lips

"Full of kind words, are you? Now, why don't you tell me where Momonga is!?"

Shalltear felt a chill going down her back, she was unsure if the others had felt it, but her superior's tone had changed for the worst. Even if he still wore a smile and seemed kind hearted, there was something that frightened her in the way only a Supreme Being could manage.

"H-He, went to a human village with Albedo. Sebas should know more than me." hearing her reply, Alucard looked back at his Brides

"Thank you, Shalltear. You three go back to the room. I'll go on ahead." in a flash he was gone


	2. Carne Village

Alucard moved his arms around testing his mobility, he had changed from his Blood Armor to a similar armor used by his Brides, the only difference was that on his gauntlets he had 3 blades, the feet and hands ended in claws much like the other armors. He had yet to place his hood on, which gave him more freedom to look around and take in his surroundings, but now he was tempted to put on to hide his shame. He was having trouble finding Sebas, now that the NPCs were roaming freely he did not know where to find him, luckily while he was walking towards Momonga's room he came across one of the Pleiades, Solution Epsilon.

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." she said, bowing before the vampire

Waving the maid to straighten her stance, he got a better look at her, saying that she was beautiful would be close to an insult, remembering that she was a slime so this appearance was nothing more than a disguise. Alucard mentally sighed, he could not get distracted with trying to understand the workings of the slime race, right now there were other things to do.

"Greetings, Solution. Do you know where Sebas is?"

"Sebas-sama, is in Momonga-sama's room."

"Thank you for the assistance." Alucard gave her a nod and began to walk towards the room

If she said something in reply he honestly did not listen, right now his only desire was to meet up with Momonga and see what he thought of the situation. Him going to a human village made Alucard curious to see what had happened, out of all possibilities that came up to his mind he could not chose one that would make sense. Finally opening the door, he was face with an opened portal and Sebas standing near it, seeing the butler Alucard couldn't help but smile. Alucard and Touch Me had exchanged blows more than once, for the vampire it was one of the few times he could go all out and still lose, for the World Champion it was the chance to fight someone who managed to give him an actual challenge.

"Sebas. It's good to see you." the vampire hissed

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." the butler replied, taking a bow

"What can you tell me about Momonga going to a human village?" Alucard asked, stopping just a few feet from the portal

"Momonga-sama, went to help them against an attack." Sebas replied

"Anyone else?"

"Albedo-Sama went with him. Troops are being prepared to provide assistance when the time comes…" Alucard spoke over him

"Sorry for interrupting, but I understand the situation now. Just another question, how many troops are you preparing?"

"I am unsure, Aura-sama and Mare-sama took it upon themselves to assemble and command the force."

Alucard was worried by this, there should be no great need to mobilize so many resources, true he did not know the nature of the ones attacking the village but with Momonga and himself present there should be no need for many troops.

"If they are in charge of that, please go and tell them to only send…15 of them to the village. Of those 15, one of them is to come meet us the others will spread and monitor the surroundings. Also, no need for any of the Guardians to leave Nazarik just have them on standby, if the situation calls for it they are to act immediately. Also inform my Brides of the situation and give them the same instructions as the Guardians."

"It will be done, as you request it, Alucar-sama."

"Good to know. Then I will go on ahead, wish me luck." turning to face the portal, Alucard placed his hood on and jumped into it

* * *

Alucard arrived at a small clearing, now he was faced with the problem of finding the village, sniffing the air he detected the sweet smell of people and something that had a similar smell to him. It could be another vampire, or perhaps another undead, if his body had changed it would only make sense that the same thing had happened to Momonga.

"Here I come, Momonga!" letting out a growl, the vampire ran in the direction of the smell

While Ainz was speaking with the village chief, Albedo walked around the village not having anything to do, her senses detected something approaching them at great speed. For a moment, she was ready to panic, luckily her body made the connection before her mind could, it was a Supreme Being. She had heard about Ainz-sama allowing the three Vampire Brides to go find Alucard-sama, most likely he had heard that they had come to this village. Albedo ran to the edge of the village, a place she concluded the vampire would pass through if he kept his current trajectory.

When the Overseer of the Floor Guardians arrived behind one of the many houses, before her was a path leading further into the forest. A moment later a mass of wind hit her head on, forcing her to take a few steps backwards, waving the resulting dust away from her face her eyes fell on the being before him. The black armor with the cape hanging from the lower back, a hood covering his face so that only the lower half was visible and the sheathed katana to his left, there was no doubt about who he was.

"Alucard-sama!" she gasped, bowing before him

"I apologize for my rudeness. Not properly welcoming you…" his voice overwhelmed hers

"There is no need to worry about that, Albedo. So, what brought Momonga here?" his voice was calm and friendly

Albedo cursed herself, how could her body react to such a forgiving tone with a cold chill? There was no hint of hostility in his tone or posture, even after her lack of proper manners, even so her body was scarred by this, her mind could not understand such action.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, slowly approaching her

"N-No! Ainz-sama wanted to save this village. He is now speaking with the village chief. If you wish I can…" once more he interrupted

"Ainz?"

"Momonga-sama, said that he would use that name till more of the Supreme Beings arrived."

Alucard motioned her to get up, seeing her constantly prostrating herself when she thought that her words had insulted him, was starting to tire, and bore him. Now this name change was interesting, for him to take such action by himself was also interesting, in the end it made sense if anyone was to carry that name it should be the guild master.

"I see that you managed to save many people." Alucard pointed out, listening to the sounds created by the nearby humans

"I did nothing. It was all Ainz-sama." Albedo politely corrected

"If you did nothing, then allow me to ask this. What did you think of the humans?"

"They are weak and fragile. I believe that crushing them like the insects they are, would provide an entertaining sight."

This might be a problem, Alucard thought, her words were unfiltered that was for sure, which meant the only reason she had not done anything to the villagers was because Ainz was here and he had yet to order her to do so. If she had these feelings, it was possible that the others thought similar things, he for one considered that his view of humans had changed along with his body. For one he now saw them as food, even if he was able to hold back, the feeling was still there.

"Then you consider them a species that would easily be crushed under our might?"

Albedo did not answer right away, his tone had changed once more, unlike the previous question this one had some hidden purpose behind it other than curiosity. Should she answer her true feelings, or construct an answer that would please the Supreme behind, but by doing that she could anger him if he perceived her words to be a lie.

"I…I believe that yes, we could easily crush their forces."

"Fool."

She looked straight back at him, his words freezing her body, the vampire lifted his head slightly so their eyes would meet, from her point of view two red orbs pierced through her mind.

"You are underestimating them, Albedo."

"Please explain, Alucard-sama! How can such insects be underestimated!?" at that moment she raised her voice, prompting Albedo to quickly cover he mouth after speaking

"It is simple. You know nothing of humanity's infinite potential for evolution."

It was if a stake had been driven through her heart, by the look in his eyes she could see he told no lie, even if his lips were curled into a somewhat disturbing grin. Albedo was baffled, how could a Supreme Being, an entity that easily surpassed all others, speak so highly of those akin to ants. Was Alucad-sama the only one that thought this, or did Ainz-sama also share these beliefs, was that the reason he was being so cautious, fear of what humans could do or was it like he said just the nature of the situation.

The silence between them came to an end when someone approached them, Alucard was the only one to turn to meet the new arrival, Albedo was still deep in thought.

"It is a great honor to meet Alucard-sama…" spoke the Eight-Edge Assassin, before being interrupted by Alucard

"No need for courtesies. Are there 15 of you like I requested?" Alucard asked turning to him, lowering his head so his eyes would be hidden once more

"Yes."

"Good. You may take the remaining position around the village." with a boy the being vanished

"Albedo, are you still thinking of what I told you?" Alucard asked, facing the motionless Albedo

"I…" she muttered

"Do not think too much into it. I have fought and killed my share of humans, so I know the truth behind these words. But more importantly let's go meet Ainz, he may already be waiting for your return."

"Y-Yes." she replied, the name of her lover having reinvigorated her moral

* * *

When they found Ainz, he was lost in deep thought, the Elder Lich turned to meet the duo he first looked at Albedo before focusing on Alucard. Alucard could not see his expression from behind the mask, that he concluded was being used to hide his skeleton face, he was the first to make a move lifting his right hand for a handshake.

"Ainz." Ainz replied to his handshake

"Alucard-san. I was worried that I was the only one to have been brought here." both hands went back to their usual resting positions

"And that would be the case, I only logged in about 2 minutes before the end. But I have no regrets." Alucard reassured, with a laugh

While the two Supreme Beings made small talk, Albedo was still obsessing over Alucard's words, she wanted to, no she needed to know what Ainz thought of humans, if he too shared such view.

"Ainz-sama…" she spoke, her tone was low but was enough for her superiors to listen

"Yes, Albedo?" he asked

"What do you think of humans?"

Ainz was surprised by this question, what would bring about her wish to say such a thing, has he possibly done something that went against what Albedo expected from him? Certainly, that shouldn't be the case, so far he had acted cautiously as a man searching for information, she seemed to have understood that so why ask this now.

"You're still thinking about that?" Alucard asked, in a calm manner

"Yes. My apologies, Alucard-sama."

"Did something happen?" Ainz asked, now looking at both of them

"I asked what she thought of humans, she said they were insects, and I retorted she was underestimating them." Alucard replied

"I see. You both have a point. From what we've seen so far, they are weak, so I cannot blame Albedo for her views. However, we are new to this world we do not know anything about how it truly works, the time may come you are indeed proven wrong, Albedo." Ainz said

"I understand, Ainz-sama." she said, sounding calmer now

"Let's call it a day. We're done here. Albedo, Alucard, let's head back." the guild master announced

"Understood." the others replied

Alucard walked to Ainz left, his left hand rested on his katana's hilt, from time to time looking back at the Elder Lich he could notice that his comrade seemed to be searching for something, perhaps someone they had meet. The vampire was also interested to see what the Death Knight could do and how Ainz had created it in this new world, his thoughts came to a quick end when their group made a turn and began to approach some villagers.

"What's the matter, village chief?" the man who the vampire assumed to be the village chief face lit up in hope

"Oh, Ainz-sama. There seems to be people riding horses, who look like soldiers

approaching this place…"

"I see…" Ainz muttered

The villagers all shared worried looks, Alucard was unsure of what to say or even if he should say anything, since he was a stranger to them, surely the humans were also wondering who he was.

"Leave it to me. All the villagers will seek shelter in the village chief's house; the two

of us will stay here." reassured Ainz

A bell rang, and the villagers began to gather. At the same time, Death Knight went

next to the village chief's home to guard it and Albedo stood next to Ainz waiting for

his commands. Alucard tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, this was not an act of fear but of eagerness, his bloodthirsty vampire personality could already imagine his blade cutting through those soldiers.

"Don't worry, since this is a special case I'll help you free of charge."

Alucard's attention went to the village chief, that from what he could tell was doing his best to look as calm and collected as possible. The mentioning of a charge, made him think that the chief most likely had already paid something for Ainz's previous assistance with the knights. Looking around the village he doubted that they had much money, or items, that could serve as proper payment, that would explain why his comrade quickly mentioned the payment.

A few moments later, several horsemen appeared on the road and quickly came into the square. Both Ainz and Alucard had their eyes fixed on the men and their equipment, no proper emblem, a wide range of armor so much so some did not even wear proper armor, and a variety of weapons. These men were soldiers, there was no doubt about it, perhaps mercenaries or raiders that would explain their look, it was the product of several battles and conquests. Alucard couldn't help but smile, even if he didn't admit it part of him wanted to see what they could do and what he could do to them.

From their ranks a single man emerged, ridding in the direction of Ainz, for the vampire there was no mistake this was the leader, his expression alone was enough to confirm this. This man looked around, not letting even the small detail escape his eyes, his gaze went to the trio fixating on Ainz the longest, perhaps he could tell who was the leader amongst them.

"I am a Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Strolonoff. Under orders from the king, I have come with a punitive force to fight against the knights of the Empire and have been patrolling around various villages." the man's voice echoed through the square

"A Warrior Captain of the Kingdom…" Ainz muttered

Alucard then saw Ainz ask the village chief who this man was, from what he picked up of the conversation, the one standing before him was given to his achievements was given a place as the king's bodyguard and has the commander of his elite soldiers. The vampire felt his right hand twitch, it was ready to reach for his katana and prove how good this knight actually was, luckily his mind was superior to this and he kept his composure.

"You must be the village chief. Could you tell me who the man standing next to you

is?" asked Gazef

"Do not bother. Hello, Sir Warrior Captain of the Kingdom, I am Ainz Ooal Gown, a

Magic Caster. Because the villagers were attacked by knights, I came to here to

rescue them."

Alucard was surprised, he was certain that angering the soldiers would result in nothing but a easy fight, but still addressing Gazef when he had directed his question to the village chief was a bold move. What happened next, further shocked the vampire, Gazef jumped down from his horse and bowed deeply before Ainz.

"Thank you for saving this village, I am unable to repay your kindness."

"With all due respect, Warrior Captain. But shouldn't we get going, Ainz-sama? It will be night soon." Alucard spoke up, his attention fallen on Ainz ignoring the human

"I see you are a traveler and I apologize for wasting your time. But I have to ask what happened to the men that attacked the village?" Gazef asked, keeping his calm look

"First allow me to apologize for Alucard's actions, he is rather eager…" Alucard once more spoke over him

"I simply wished to spare us another headache, but I smell something approaching." he informed

"Are you certain!?" Ainz asked, turning to Alucard

"My nose doesn't lie. What do you wish to do?"

Ainz sighed under his breath seeing another problem come his way, it could possible that the knights from before had brought in backup or this threat was a completely new one. Which would mean that either this village had some kind of unknown value, or the arrival of Gazef and his men had triggered this. He was also worried by Alucard's attitude, the way he first spoke suggested he was trying to leave before things went wrong, but quickly abandoned that idea when Gazef spoke.

"Then we will do what we did before. We will protect this village." Ainz replied, he could see a gin under Alucard's words sending a chill down his spine

"Then please give me the honors of taking care of this situation." the vampire said

"Master Gown, Alucard, we shouldn't take conclusions lightly. We have yet to confirm who it is that is approaching the village." Gazef pointed out

"Indeed. Then, Alucard, go find out who is approaching the village." Ainz instructed, Alucard quickly left

"Wait, Master Gown! As a knight of the Kingdom I cannot simply stand by while you and your men do all the work." Gazef said

"That is not my intention, I took the liberty of sending out Alucard to scout out the threat. I have no intention of fighting in you place. However, I cannot say the same thing for Alucard."

* * *

Nigun and his men began to cast all the high tier spells that were used to summon Angles, before them was just another assignment. It didn't matter who the target was, it shouldn't at least, they were God's men and were doing His duty so worrying about anything other than serving him was nothing more than an insult. So, when a large gust of wind hit them followed by the appearance of a hooded figure in black, there was nothing but a little surprise and loathing at Gazef's cowardice.

"Who are you!? Are you perhaps here to plead for your life?" Nigun roared, doing his best to ignore the man's entrance

"I wish to know who I am speaking with? I do not know business, unless I know who I am doing it with." Alucard replied, his tone was confident but not too confident he wanted to know more about these men

"What business would that be?"

"You are here for the Warrior Captain, correct?" the fact that he could not see the man's face bothered Nigun

"If it will make things quicker. I am Nigun Grid Luin. Captain of the Sunlight Scripture of the Slane Theocracy. Do you wish to assist us?"

He could not form any better question, what other reason could this man have for approaching them? Certainly, he wasn't going to hand Gazef over to them in a silver platter, anything other than help would be insanity or stupidity.

"First allow me to introduce myself. I am Alucard. But that is not the name I wish you to remember, you will remember the name of the one superior to me, Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Certainly you mock us? You present yourself before us, men of God and dare to waste our time?"

"On the contraire. You are wasting my time and unless you are going to do something about that. I will be on my way."

How dare he poison their work with his words, to stand before God's soldiers and God's envoys. Certainly, there was no other option, this was certainly a mad man of the worst depravity, it would only be the correct thing to do and put an end this his suffering.

"Cut him down!" Nigun commanded

Two Archangels of Fire were sent out to carry his orders, the flying beings made a beeline for the enigmatic figure, what happened next none of the Sunlight Scripture could understand. Once the angels got close three things happened, the stranger placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, followed by his right arm was stretched to the right side holding on to the katana and finally back to the initial state with the blade in its hilt.

"What happened?" some mumbled

"Did you see what happened?" other's questioned

The angels flapped their wings a couple of time, before disintegrating into several particles of light, which allowed Nigun to finally reach the obvious conclusion. This man name Alucard, had sliced through the angels with ease, the three phases they had seen was simply what their minds were able to perceive from his movement, which would imply monstrous speed. His mind went to their target, the strongest warrior of his kingdom, could he do things like this certainly he should be able to do so. Such conclusion was the only thing Nigun could muster not to perceive the hooded figure as some kind of demon.

"Are you finished? I have no wish to waste my time on weaklings."

Having made his mind known, Alucard lifted his right arm so his hand was slightly below his face, he placed his thumb over his index finger and pressured it down causing a cracking sound in response.

"All the Angels attack!" Nigun spat

Alucard was wondering where Gazef was, he had shown reluctance when the suggestion was made to take care of these guys without including him, now he was nowhere to be seen. In his direction came a wall of angels, it was tall and wide, leaving Alucard little room to avoid it, such thing almost looked like a challenge. Once more Nigun and his men saw Alucard unseat his blade, this time he pointed it directly at the incoming angels, Nigun didn't understand what he was going. Was he attempting to summon some kind of attack, or had he finally understood the forces that opposed him and was trying to die as a warrior.

"Shi. Cyclone!" Alucard said

In a blink of an eye the wall had been cut through in every possible angle imaginable, what remained of them began to fall before breaking apart into light particles. Nigun was frozen in horror, what had just happened, he had not seen what ever had cut down the angels.

"Impossible…" he muttered

By now his subordinates were sending waves of spells towards the demon, not even this had an effect Alucard summoned a large stone wall and that was enough to block their failing efforts.

"Go forth, Principality Observation!"

Alucard sliced down the stone wall in time to see the incoming attack, this angel was different and looked tougher than the others, still not enough to worry him. He did a simple stabbing motion in its direction, that was enough to stop the incoming angel as a hole was punched through his gut.

"With only one blow…"

"That's impossible!"

"How is this possible!?"

Nigun was shouting and cursing at Alucard, whatever he was saying he was unsure but to see the angels he had saved up so far, the ones known for being high level beings, being destroyed with one simple attack. The fact that he was yet able to understand what the nature of the attacks was lost on him, his mind was blinded by the results these caused.

"Such a thing is impossible! For someone to defeat a high-level angle with one attack…" Alucard spoke over him

"That creature had nothing of "high-level" to it, it's as simple as that. Do not try to direct your ignorance towards me, after all it is you who is lacking in knowledge of what truly is "high-level"."

Alucard was done, this wasn't being productive at all, yes the strength he had assumed he had was there, but this wasn't a good way of testing it. Probably it would have been wiser to have stayed in Nazarik and get someone to spar with him.

"Unless you have some trump card, I'll be ending this now." he said in a monotone

"Then I will give you the honor of being killed by the Angel of the highest level. Now hurry up and buy me some time!" Nigun roared in triumph, his face looked like one of a mad man

He revealed a crystal, the object caught Alucard's attention the second it was revealed, could this possibly be a Crystal of Magic Sealing. Now it was starting to get interesting, if this was the type of object he considered it to be, it could contain the a spell to summon an Angle. If he seemed to have so much hope that it could defeat him, possibly it could even be a Seraph Empyrean, or something new altogether. Alucard almost laughed at the karma of the situation, he wanted to test his strength so much that now he could possibly be faced with something stronger than he was.

"Look! Behold the glory of the highest-ranking Angel! Dominion Authority!"

The following light forced, for the first time in this "battle", Alucard to step back even if his hood covered his eyes the light was incredibly strong. The angel was being showered in cheers by those present, in their eyes this was truly God's holy judgment and something that not even Alucard could hope to defeat. When the light subsided, Alucard got a good look at Dominion Authority, to say he was disappointed would be wrong, he felt something closer to anger, pure rage at those who dared to mock him in such a matter.

"That's right! Even if you're afraid there is no way out, this is the image of the highest

level Angel. Originally using him here would be a waste, but I judge that you have that

value." Nigun gloated, once more Alucard simply pointed at it with his blade

"Shi. Trick Spear!"

Alucard could swear some of those present collapsed, through the angel's chest was now a hole, Nigum was on his knees like the others who had enough dignity not to faint.

"Shi. Six Way Slash!"

If the hole in the chest was not enough, a cut appeared horizontally on the chest, one vertically slicing him clean in half, another appeared from the left shoulder to the lower right side and one symmetrical to this.

"Just what are you…"

"Who am I am does not matter. You need only to remember this the one that defeated you was the sword of Ainz Ooal Gown."

* * *

Alucard calmly made his way back to the village, waiting for him was Ainz, Albedo and Gazef, these were the only ones that mattered. Stopping just a few feet from the three, he gave them all a quick look before doing something unthinkable, he kneeled before them.

"Alucard…" Ainz mumbled, but his comrade had already started talking

"First I would like to apologize for my overall selfish behavior. I was too eager to test my strength to wait for a strategy or even take into account the opinion of others." no one said anything, since they knew he was not finished

"Then, Warrior Captain, Gazef Stronoff I beg that you forgive me, as a warrior. I ignored the will of someone my senior, and by defeating those who were in reality your opponents have insulted your pride as a warrior." Ainz and Albedo were shocked, this outburst of emotion was real no part of it felt faked

"You have no reason to lower yourself before me." Gazef said, kneeling and placing a hand over Alucard's shoulder

"I am the one at fault, the reason they came here was for me…" Ainz added a small piece of information

"We managed to listen in, on some parts of the battle."

"If it wasn't for that all of you would have already left and this village would be at peace. When it comes to pride, I was the one who was ready to step over your pride. Had it not been for Master Gown I would have interfered, in the end it seems like I would have only gotten in the way."

"You honor me with your words." was all the vampire managed to say, now shifting his position towards Ainz

"Ainz, once again forgive my actions. I got carried away, given the situation, I should not run into situations unprepared…" Ainz calmly began to speak

"There is no need for such things, Alucard-san. We have all much to learn on this journey, sometimes it will take quick action to get things done without losses, you have showed that much. Now rise, after all I can't go anywhere without my sword." he said, ending in a chuckle

"Now rise, Alucard. We have to get going."

"Finally." the vampire sighed, getting back to his feet

"It's already late, to travel now is a bit…" Gazef pointed out, before realizing who he was speaking to

"My apologies, this is unnecessary worries for a powerful man like Master Gown. If

you drop by the imperial capital, please pay me a visit, my doors will always be open

for you. And Sir Alucard if you ever have the time I would be honored to have a sparring match with you. Other than that, I am thankful for you giving me a set of equipment from the knights attacking the village." Ainz and Alucard simply nodded

"Let's return, Albedo."


	3. Vampire Nature

Alucard walked at a steady pace towards his room, giving all the servants he passed by a polite "Hello" or "Thank you for your work", he couldn't say he was tired he hadn't felt something like that ever since he had awoken here. What he felt now was more a sense of metal exhaustion, having wasted his time with those men back at the village had really bored him. Having to lower himself before Gazef and Ainz, might have been too extreme of a decision now that he through about it, even so an apology was necessary he had acted to recklessly given the situation.

Finally, he arrived at the door that lead to his room, it was a massive thing with obsidian color on the outside. The door opened inwards as he took his first steps into his chamber, the walls and floors were colored a light grey, it was simple and uniform just how he liked it, after all he had never been a man to live in luxury only enjoy it. Nether the less it was a sizable room, still nothing compared to Ainz's, the large bed was located against the back wall with a nightstand on each side, to his right was a door leading to his closet. A place he rarely went to, because he simply didn't have much stuff in there, it wasn't rare for sometimes guild members to ask him to store something for them. To his left was a black desk, with a music box on top of it and other meaningless things, on the back wall there were two other doors, one leading to his training room and the other to his Brides chambers.

First thing he noticed when he arrived was Touka, she was wearing her white dress and sitting on the floor in front of the bed, not paying attention to other details he directed his words to her.

"Why are you sitting on the floor? Won't your dress get dirty?" he asked in a monotone

While he spoke, Alucard went to his desk there he removed his right-hand gauntlet and then took off his Ring of Incognito, even if it pained him to do so for now it would be best if people could freely contact him.

"I was on the bed, but Talia said I moved too much, so I decided to sit here." she replied, frowning

Alucard had not noticed Talia, looking up at the bed the female vampire was sitting on the edge of the bed, on her lap was Nyx who apparently was sleeping. From his perspective, it was a heartwarming sight, just like a mother taking care of her child, but part of him wanted to ask why they were all staying around his bed.

"Is she asleep?" he asked, leaning back on the desk

"Yes, Alucard-sama. She tried to wait for your arrival, but it seems she was not able to do so." Talia replied

Hearing these words, he did his best not to raise an eyebrow at her, from what he had experience here vampires had no need for sleep. Even when he stayed inside the cave, the need for sleep did not come, he was certain he had slept at least a few hours, which made sense since the lack of a need did not mean they couldn't do it. Another factor he soon remembered was the nature of Nyx's personality, he had made her to be childlike, that could explain why she fell asleep. She was waiting, closed her eyes and simply fell asleep, either way it wasn't any cause for concern surely even vampires shared differences amongst each other, he just hoped this wouldn't happen if he sent her out on a mission.

"Touka, can you get me some more manageable clothes? I don't think walking around in armor all day would be that comfortable."

"Right away, Alucard-sama!" the Bride replied, jumping back to her feet, and running inside the closet

"Should I wake Nyx up?" Talia asked

"Momonga is planning to make an announcement in the Throne room, so we will wake her up then."

"Does that mean, we are allowed to go?" she asked in her low tone, her checks were a little red showcasing the shyness and uncertainty being her words

"Of course! You are my Brides after all, I cannot simply leave you in this room." Alucard replied, with a smirk

"Alucard-sama, I found them!" Touka announced cheerfully, emerging from the closet

Hanging from her right hand was a black trench coat, on the left were matching boots and draped over her left arm were pants and a belt, basically just aesthetic clothing. He wasn't going to even consider the possibility of them being comfortable for everyday life, what was more important was if they would transmit the authority he had to show before the NPCs.

"Why did you chose those clothes, in particular?"

"I think they would look awesome on you!" Touka replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement

"Talia?" his eyes went to the older of the three

"I would believe it would depend on the image, Alucard-sama would wish to present himself to the others."

Once more Alucard had to fight back against making any strange facial expressions, this time widening his eyes, why did she say such a thing? He was sure Talia was not able to read minds, then how did she know he was concerned about that, was it possible that eve controlling his expressions she was able to see through him non-the less, what a scary thought.

"Wisely put, Talia. I think I'll risk going with Touka's suggestion."

"Shall we help you change, Alucard-sama?" Talia asked, shyly

"There is no need!"

Alucard marched towards Touka, took the clothes from her hands stepped into the closet and closed the door behind him. Leaning back against the door, the Supreme Being sighed he was not ready to undress in front of them, it wasn't because he had some issue with his body, but them being his Brides made him unsure of what to do. When he created them, he had placed a few lines referring to romantic feelings in their settings, outside of Nyx who given the design he had given her the idea of romance was not the intention. Taking this into account undressing in front of them, might have some kind of unwanted reaction in Talia and Touka.

A minute later, Alucard walked out now in the clothing given to him by his Bride, he still had his katana resting to his left and not having anything under his trench coat his abdomen was exposed. His eyes went to Touka who seemed to be transfixed on his abs, seeing this now Alucard concluded that this was possibly the reason she chose these clothes and did not include a shirt.

"Anything the matter, Touka?" he asked walking pass her, stopping in front of Talia and the still sleeping Nyx

"Let's go." Alucard announced, looking down on the oldest Bride

"Then I…" Talia said preparing to wake up Nyx

Before she could do so, her superior leaned down and picked up the younger vampire, since she was small in size it wasn't difficult to place her over his arm, her head resting on his shoulder and her left arm placed over it. Talia was frozen, and so was Touka, they had never seen anything similar to this from their creator such act of kindness to them, honestly was impossible.

"Look alive people, we're walking to the Throne Room and I don't plan to wait." Alucard chuckled opening the door to his room and exiting

The other two Brides quickly rushed out of the room, having to go into a small jog to catch up with their fast paced superior, when they managed to stand to his sides they reduced their speed to a fast walk other than job. Alucard didn't want to say it, but he was in a rush he was unsure if Ainz was already at the Throne room, so he wanted to get there as fast as possible.

* * *

Arriving at the door that lead to the Throne Room, Alucard used his free left hand to push it open, revealing inside a large crowd. It's size surprised Alucard, outside of Gargantua and Victim, all other Floor Guardians were present along with other NPCs, they were already on their knees, which made him wonder for own long they had been like that. Stepping into the chamber, and slowly making his way toward the throne, his eyes went to Albedo who was at the edge of the steps to the right of the throne. If she had taken the right, he should probably take the left side.

"Nyx, it's time to wake up." he whispered into her ear

Given the silence of the Throne Room, Alucard was able to listen the footsteps of those walking inside, which was himself, Touka and Talia, this made it possible for him to listen two of those sounds stopping just as they arrived at the front of the crowd where the Guardians were.

"We will stop here." Talia announced, kneeling along with Touka

Alucard simply nodded and gave Nyx a soft nudge to wake her up, the child like vampire began to move fidgeting in his arm, to the point he tightened his hold on her so she wouldn't fall off.

"Alucard-sama." she mumbled, her head lifting from his shoulder

Nyx looked around, her eyes still dazed from sleep, they went to the crowd, then to the Guardians, back to Alucard and finally to the room itself.

"My apologies!" she gasped, realizing where she was

"No harm done." Alucard said, dropping her like he hoped she landed perfectly on her feet

"I bothered, Alucard-sama. I…" he placed his right hand on her head interrupting her

"You slept well?" Nyx looked up at the Supreme Being, in his face there was but a warm almost fatherly smile

"Y-Yes."

"Good. I need my subordinates properly rested. Now, go join the others." she gave him a bow and rushed to Talia's side

Adorable little thing, Alucard through, continuing to the stop he had chosen to be his own inside the Throne Room, now standing on the opposite side from Albedo he had a better view of those present. It would be a lie if he said, that such sight did not overwhelm him, to think that these beings supposedly were all loyal to him and Ainz was also a scary thought.

"Everyone, let's properly welcome, Alucard-sama." Albedo said, Alucard's eyes darted towards her attempting to stop her from speaking but it was already too late

"We, servants of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, welcome the Master, Alucard-sama. All of us can only hope, that the Master accepts our everlasting bow of fidelity!"

A scary sight indeed, to see all those voices echoing through the Throne Room, was enough to even make Alucard want to step back. Had he really done something worth of such loyalty, definably not, even among the guild he was happy to limit himself to a warrior not worthy of taking the place of a ruler.

"Everyone…" he spoke, right away Alucard felt all eyes one him

"Truly I am a blessed man. To have before me, people who showed such loyalty, is certainly more than what I had ever expected. If that is the case then I have only one order…" Alucard paused again, pointing at the flag of Ainz Ooal Gown

"Let us all work together under this great name! Look to the person to your right, then to the one to your left, whatever issue you have with them, when the time comes, and it will come, is mute. We are legion, we are Nazarick, let us move forward in the great name of Ainz Ooal Gown!" Alucard roared, as passionately as he could muster

"I see you have been busy, Alucard-san." a voice spoke

Alucard's eyes darted to the entrance, the crowd who was starting to get energetic went back to its immobile nature, Ainz and Sebas had just entered the Throne Room, the now overwhelming silence being dispersed by their footsteps as the true ruler of Nazarick made his way toward his throne.

"They gave me a very heartwarming welcome. I was just showing them how please I was with it." Alucard explained, as Ainz took his seat

"There is no need to explain your actions to me, Alucard-san. Our situation is the same, and standing similar."

What followed was the announcement of his name change from Momonga to Ainz Ooal Gown and a much better version of the speech Alucard had tried to give. Seeing how expertly Ainz was able to speak and motivate those present, only confirmed it in his mind, that Alucard had chosen correctly in being his sword.

"Let us go, Alucard-san. I wish to brief you in private."

* * *

Ainz lifted himself from his seat, he took point followed by Alucard and finally Sebas who walked behind the two Supreme Beings. Their destination was Ainz's room, originally Ainz had considered the Round Table but the vision of the vast table only being filled by two people was too painful to realize. Sebas remained at the entrance once they arrived, Ainz took a seat on one of the couches that were in his room, Alucard did the same sitting on the opposite edge.

"Devoted, aren't they?" Alucard chuckled, Ainz placed a hand on his temple

"Overwhelmingly so. I fear that one missed step, one wrong word, one failed action will shatter their view of me." Ainz said

"I get it. But since you are the Guild Master, you've got it worse than me."

"Don't remind me." Ainz sighed, Alucard couldn't help but chuckle

"But that is not the reason we are here. First, anything happened before we met up?" Alucard asked, waving away the previous discussion

Before his eyes, Ainz seemed to sink deeper into the couch, at first glance one would think he had done something wrong.

"I…I altered Albedo's settings…" Ainz mumbled

"Why?" Alucard asked in a monotone, he was simply curious to know

"It was supposed to be a joke, since there was going to be the shutdown."

"What did you change?"

"There was a line saying…that she was a "slut"…I changed it with "She is in love with Momonga."…"

Alucard was faced with two options, he could comfort his comrade or make some joke about it, taking the mood maybe something humorous would be more appropriate.

"Trying to take all the women for yourself, are ya?"

"Certainly not!" Ainz spat back

"What about Shalltear?" Alucard asked

"What about her?"

"She commented something about my beauty rivaling yours. Anything happened between the two of you?"

"Now that you mentioned, she did say something like that to me." Ainz remarked

"Peroroncino, seems to have created quiet the interesting vampire." Alucard said, with a grin

"Let's move along to the reason we came here."

Ainz proceeded to tell Alucard everything that had happened till the moment they were reunited, but more importantly gave to him the information the village chief had given him. The vampire listed silently to his words, writing down in his mind every little detail, if the time come he had to go around, the outside world he would need this knowledge.

"You said, that you and Gazef had listened in on my fight. What did he think?"

"He was very curious, asked me if you were using martial arts." Alucard blinked

"I did not even move…" Ainz quickly explained

"Not those. Gazef explained to me, one could call it a warrior's magic and they are unique to this world, they allow the user to transcend one's perceived limits."

"We could possibly learn those." the vampire remarked

"I've already thought about it, and am thinking of ways to get our hands on some Martial Arts users. I'll tell you more when I have a concrete plan."

"Anything else you wish to discuss with me?" Ainz simply nodded no

"Then I will be going, Ainz."

* * *

Alucard stood in the middle of his training room, it was a large chamber both high and wide lit by some crystals that decorated the corners of the room, he was surrounded by his Brides and all of them were wearing their black armors. In his hand was the music box, inside it had a small screen and a keyboard which Alucard was currently using.

"This will be an exercise to test the body, so use of any kind of magic is forbidden. Since I don't want to risk any unnecessary injury, weapons of any sort are also forbidden." he spoke, placing his hood on

"Everyone place your hoods, we have to train as if this was a real fight." the vampire continued to use the music box, while his Brides placed their hoods on

"This will be a 3 on 1 exercise. The 3 will be you, your objective will be to pin me down, if you manage to actually knock me out it's also good. I however will be working towards knocking out every single one of you…" a chill went down their backs

"…Of course, if anyone wants to give up during the session they are allowed to, no shame will come from that. Anyone can fight, but few are those who are brave enough to admit that they are weaker than their opponent and give up."

"Anyone not ready to start?" he asked

"No, Alucard-sama." they replied in unison

"Then just let me put on the music…" pressing one of the buttons it began, before opening a small black portal and placing it inside

 **Bleach – Invasion**

"Start!" he roared

Nyx was in front of him, Talia was behind him to his left and Touka behind him to his right, the trio charged at him as soon as he gave the order. Touka went for a kick and Talia a punch, Alucard ducked under the blows just to have Nyx come at him for a punch of her own, at last moment he threw himself to the left. Touka emerged behind him bringing both her fists down on him, acting quickly Alucard hit her in the gut with his right elbow then grabbing her by the left arm threw her into the ground in front of him.

Talia came next throwing several blows, however she had a weakness that he could easily exploit, compared to the others her speed was average while her strength was greatly above average. Unlike Touka who had speed on her side, while her strength wasn't anything special when compared to the others. Dodging a left and from Talia, Alucard grabbed on to her arm pulled her forward kicking her right leg from under her, having sufficiently destabilized her he easily jumped over her. Nyx attacked him, once he landed behind Talia, she threw some blows which he easily avoided side stepping around her, however she was able to match the speed of his movements and continue on the offensive. This was the reason while at a physical level she was the strongest of the three, while her speed wasn't as good as Touka and her strength wasn't as great as Talia's, they were still above average and well balanced.

Bending backwards, Alucard avoided another attempt at a punch by Nyx, the small vampire passed clean over him so taking this to his advantage he hit her with a palm strike in the gut sending her flying into the ceiling. Having regained her footing, Talia attacked him from behind throwing a left hand, moving to the right the fist went pass Alucard who wrapped his arm around hers. He followed up with an attempt at an elbow, his Bride managed to block it with her right hand then lifting a knee into his back.

Alucard arched his back, using this to swiftly move his right foot in-between her legs and behind her right foot, when Touka appeared before him ready to attack he pulled forwards. Using the positioning of his right foot and the hold he still had on her arm he managed to get Talia in between himself and Touka, so she ended up attacking her fellow Bride. The sound of something erupting from the ceiling alerted the trio, Nyx landed between her master and the other vampires, her fist cracking the ground under her before she lunged at Alucard.

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - The Last Mission**

Acting quickly, he placed both arms in front of his face, using them to damper the impact of her right hand, a shockwave went through the area, the Supreme Being staggered backwards trying to recover his footing. At that moment, he noticed that Touka was missing, then someone hit his left leg right from under him, it was her, letting out a frustrated hiss he tried to use his other leg to jump out of harm's way. His eyes darted to the right when Talia went on the offensive, had it just been her it would have been fine but Nyx was still attacking, so getting a punch to the face was unavoidable.

Being hit by all of his Bride's strength, Alucard found himself being sent into a wall cracking on impact, the trio stopped their attacks for the moment looking at their creator. The True Vampire moved a little and fell from the wall on to his knees, from their point of view they could see a small drop of blood leaving his mouth. Nyx tried to run to his side, but Talia stopped her, their orders were to fight him, the fact that they had stopped was enough to contradict that him.

"Are you going to give up, Alucard-sama?" Touka asked

Talia looked at her, but didn't say anything her question was a good way to justify why they had stopped, they were just making sure he did not wish to stop and admit defeat. Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when the fallen Supreme Being began to laugh weakly, cleaning the blood away from his mouth, Alucard looked up at them. What they saw sent a chill down their backs, his eyes were bright red the only thing they saw in them was killing intent, so it was instinctual when they took their fighting stances in reply.

"That was a good attack, Talia." he got back up, with a simple blink the killing intent was gone

"Let me correct myself. That was a good combined attack, as I was expecting from my Brides." Alucard continued

"Touka, you have yet to properly take advantage of your speed. I feel you can do more with it, but you used it quite well in that last attack."

"Nyx, doing just as I imagined you would do. Got to say, it's an imposing sight when you get serious."

Hearing his complements, they couldn't help but blush under their hoods, then the mood changed once more, Alucard also adopted a stance of his own. When this started, he was just taking them lightly a warm up, now he was ready to start things off seriously.

 **Bleach – Power to Strive**

Alucard charged, for a moment even to his Brides he became a blur, stopping in front of Talia he delivered a devastating uppercut to her sending her across the room. He then turned towards Touka, the Bride instantly had thrown herself back, lucky for her Nyx tried to attack Alucard who majestically did a back flip over her. Landing behind the small vampire, he threw a right hand which she avoided in the same manner he did to her, however she landed on top of his arm, being distracted by such skill he let himself be hit by Nyx's spinning kick.

The Supreme Being was sent staggering to the side, placing his hand on the floor he used as a support to regain his footing. A blur passed in front of his face, then he also felt someone pass by his left, then right, it wasn't Nyx she was still a few feet from him and Talia had yet to move since taking his initial blow. The only person remaining was Touka, she was using her speed to its fullest like this not even he would be able to track her movements, a blow to his side brought him back from his thoughts. It had started, she was using her speed to attack him when he least expected, a grin decorated his lips, if Touka was only using this now she had yet to achieve the level where she could keep this speed while attacking. Another hit to the side, like he expected he saw her right after the blow, Alucard jumped upwards into the ceiling, when his hands made contact with the surface he pushed himself down towards Nyx.

Hitting the ground with a thunderous noise, cracking the ground around him, he lunged full speed at the smaller vampire, like this she shouldn't be able to dodge or block his attack. At that moment, her child like nature came out, she flinched and covered her eyes waiting for what was about to come. Seeing such frail and helpless figure Alucard reduced his speed, making him an easier target for Touka who hit him in the ribs with a knee, much to her surprise he did not stop he turned around hitting the side of her head with his hand and slamming her into the ground.

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - Requiem Aranea**

"Stop! We give up!" Nyx cried out

Alucard moved like an automaton, his back straightened, his arms fell mechanically to his side and he turned around to look at the now crying Nyx.

"Is that so?" he roared, waiting for the others to reply, they didn't

"Seems like they are knocked out…" Alucard stopped mid-sentence, finally realizing what had happened

"Nyx heal them!" he roared, she did not even bow and quickly went to help the others

Alucard turned off the music box and staggered out of the training room, he was still lacking proper control over his new self. Normal everyday life was fine, even feeding he could handle properly, but at least when it came to battle he still needed training. Thinking back at what he had just done to Talia and Touka, he was unsure of how much strength he had truly placed behind his blows, was it possible that he had killed them or seriously hurt them.

The Supreme Being's hand passed through his hair, hitting them like this was a real fight he was better than this, more experienced than this. Those who had no experience could not hold back while sparring, he should be able to do so easily, perhaps this was caused by his new body. No, it was because of his new body, it lacked the control his new one had, if he was to make any proper use of it proper mental training was necessary.

"Alucard-sama…" said the familiar voice of Talia

"I'm so sorry!" he said, throwing himself to the ground, kneeling before his subordinate

"Please…I am not worth such acts…" she continued, in a low tone

"No. It is me who is not worthy…" Alucard mumbled back, he sat on the floor his head hung low

"Do not say that, Alucard-sama! We are your creations, we are here to serve you as you see fit…" Talia said in a shooting voice, kneeling alongside her creator

"What kind of master, throws away his creations!? It is not my place to treat you as a punching bag, no one has that right not even me!"

Talia was unsure of what she should say, or if she should say anything at all, obviously, the situation had affected Alucard. For a moment, she felt useless for not knowing of what to do, but that would only be selfish now, the priority was her master.

"Talia, how was Touka?" he mumbled

"She…she was alive."

A knock at the door broke the silence that now filled the room, Talia went and slightly opened the door, confirming who it was she closed it and informed Alucard.

"Shalltear-sama wishes for an audience."

"Open the door." Alucard said, his voice reduced to a monotone

"Greetings, Alucard-sama." he turned towards her

"Greetings, Shalltear."

Maybe it was his expression, or the overall tone of the room, Shalltear felt like something had happened, something possibly violent.

"If you don't mind me asking. Did something happen, Alucard-sama?"

"A sparring season gone too far." he hissed back

The Guardians reaction was not what he had expected, it turned mischievous she licked her lips slightly as if in anticipation, this was not disgust or even indifference, this was more akin to lust.

"Well, such thing should be expected from the weak. If I may, I suggest next time you pick someone who can handle it, when things get rough." Shalltear placed special emphasis on "rough"

"Look who it is!? Fake Boobs!" Touka shouted, staggering out of the training room

"Touka! Are you ok!?" Alucard asked, rushing to her side

"I am." she replied shyly, her face turning red

"Shalltear why are you here? Certainly, it was not to give us insight into your fetishes."

"N-No…Ainz-sama is sending me out on a mission and he wishes for you to accompany me. I came here before going to see him."

"Then let's go. I have to discuss this situation with him."

* * *

"By your command…" Albedo was about to say when Alucard rushed into Ainz room

Both her and Ainz himself looked at the vampire, who was marching towards them with Shalltear and Talia running after him trying to stop him from doing anything rash.

"Alucard-san…" Ainz began, but Alucard spoke first

"I am not fit to go on this mission." he said, placing his katana on top of his superior's desk

Albedo, Shalltear and Talia were all taken aback by such impossible words, how could a Supreme Being not be "fit". Such a thing was impossible in their mind, but looking at Alucard he looked serious and confident in his words.

"What do you mean?" Ainz asked

"In a simple sparring session, I who have being doing them for all my life, almost killed both Talia and Touka! That is not what I am, that is not who I am!" he roared back, slamming his hands on the desk

"Is this true?" Ainz asked, looking at Talia

"Y-Yes, Ainz-sama."

Ainz sighed, this had not happened to him, maybe it was because his emotions were suppressed, but Alucard was different as a vampire surely, he must be acting differently with this change. Unfortunately, he did not know how to help his friend, Shalltear hadn't shown anything similar to this, unless she was hiding it, or what Alucard was feeling was his Blood Frenzy.

"But I can…fix this…" Alucard mumbled

"…I need to retrain my mind, that is all." he added

"I understand. However, I need you to go with Shalltear…" the vampire spoke over him

"What if I get into a fight, and can't control myself!?"

"That is why Shalltear is there. Until you can control yourself, she will be both your sword and shield. You don't mind that do you, Shalltear?" Ainz asked

"Of course not, Ainz-sama."

"Then will you go? I need someone with combat experience to go with her, in order to find the best martial arts users."

"Please go, Alucard-sama. It will be good for you." Talia spoke out

Alucard turned to look at her, she seemed to be near tears, he didn't want to see her like this, neither her or any other of his Brides. The danger was high, but if Shalltear would be there to fight and he just had to evaluate their targets the chances of him losing control would diminished greatly.

"I'll be counting on you, Shalltear." Alucard said, picking up his katana

"I'll do my best, Alucard-sama."


	4. The Hunt Begins

Shalltear couldn't say that she was displeased with the situation, literally she couldn't, going against one of the Supreme Being's judgment was nothing else than a sin. When Alucard suggested for them to take temporary shelter in the woods, she did nothing else than agree even if she did point out that her orders included meeting up with Sebas and Solution. On the other hand, she couldn't lie about the fact she was completely ecstatic with the fact that she would be spending some alone time with one of the Supreme Beings.

* * *

Alucard currently rested on top of a tree, this time with a lighter armor and a sturdier branch he was certain that the possibility of it breaking was greatly diminished. This specific tree looked over one of the roads that lead to E-Rantel, from what he could tell this wasn't a main road and since their target was criminals maybe it would be more frequented by criminals. This information was only obtained through quick scouting, even when he contacted Sebas the butler was unsure about such roads, in the end Alucard had to be the one to do the scouting. From what he knew Shalltear, was the strongest of the Guardians but even so she was lacking in many ways.

He couldn't help but feel the branch, where he was sitting, vibrate as someone else placed their weight on it, Alucard sighed internally knowing perfectly well who it was. Shalltear was fascinated by her master's way of sitting, he was perfectly balanced on the tree with his legs crossed and his arms resting in front. Just by seeing him like this she could feel absolute calmness, the exact opposite of what he was transmitting when they left Nazarik, was he possibly sleeping or meditating. If that was the case, she was truly sorry for what she was about to do, but as a woman she had to get something off her chest.

"Alucard-sama." Shalltear purred into his ear, carefully wrapping her arms around his neck

"Shalltear. Is there anything you need?" Alucard hissed, his eyes still closed trying to keep his composure, but his voice showed a certain hint of annoyance

"Yes. I find myself split between Ainz-sama and Alucard-sama. Ainz-sama is the crystallization of beauty, however there are things about his body that I find…troubling, as a woman." she continued, adding the last part because she wanted to show that whatever possible defect she saw in him was from her female side

"Is this possibly related, to the fact that I still have a body composed of flesh?" Alucard asked

"Y-Yes." Shalltear replied

When the reason finally became clear in his mind, Alucard had to place both hands on the branch and wrap his leg's around it to prevent himself from falling off. The fact that she had just come out and spoken of such things, shocked him, did she not have decency programed into her? Or was it a side effect from her loyalty, which prevented her from lying, so she had chosen to just speak a filtered version of the truth.

"I think I understand what you are saying…" he mumbled, his mind was still recovering

"You do!? I am so happy to receive something as precious as, Alucard-samas understanding." the small vampire cheered, her hold on his neck tightening

"Then…will I have my first time here?"

Hearing those words, Alucard started to consider just throwing himself off the tree, taking joy in the fact that Shalltear would go down with him. Truly this was Peroroncino's creation, it much like her creator lacked decency, and that was something Alucard did not want to deal with right now.

"Don't be ridiculous. I already have my brides." he argued back, even if he did not want to deal with her he also didn't want to risk upsetting Shalltear and having her be useless for the mission

"But doesn't, Alucard-sama deserve someone stronger, someone who can help him when he goes out of control?"

The Supreme Being's eyes flared open, like before they were glowing bright red and emanating pure anger, how dare she bring his mistake up again, she had no right to mention it. Internally he knew that in terms of being able to deal with him if he were to lose control, Shalltear could possibly do it especially when compared to his brides. However, that was not something he wanted to consider, the only way for this to work out was for him not to go berserk, which in his mind made her point mute.

"That is enough, Shalltear!" he roared, his elevated tone caused her to distance herself from him

"My greatest apologies, Alucard-sama." Shalltear said, her voice wavering as she lowered her head

"What kind of man, do you think I am? No, what kind of man would I be if had to choose my mates based on the fact that they could take a punch?"

Her superior had turned his head right, so his glowing eye could freely pierce through her body, in her mind she wanted to die. To have caused such feelings in a Supreme Being, what other way was there to atone for her sin than by using her own life. Should she offer her own life now, or making any other suggestion now only serve to further anger and insult Alucard, the only reasonable option was to wait.

"Look at me, Shalltear Bloodfallen." the fact he used her full name made her desperation grow, still she did as she was ordered

"Do you remember what I told you before we left?"

There was no need to ask, of course she did, the words were "I'll be counting on you, Shalltear.", how could anyone in Nazarik forget such a thing. For one of the Supreme Beings themselves, to so openly show need for a subject was something one could only dream off. These thoughts only served to further enlarge the pain that now dwelled in her heart, Alucard had placed himself in her hands, he who was of such grandeur that his presence alone was enough to lighten the way of Nazarik. Had shown to her a weak side, something she would have never expected, and with her actions she had attacked such side of him, no words could describe what she was.

"I take it that you remember?" Alucard's tone suddenly became softer

"Y…Of course I do. How could I not…" he raised a hand to stop her

"You took a while to reply, I guess you were thinking about what you had done. Am I correct?"

"Yes." Shalltear, lowered her head in absolute shame

"Shalltear, I don't know how you handle your more primal side, you certainly do seem to have a better control over it than I do. For that I see great value in you…" even with the nature of the situation, she decided to interrupt

"But I can't! I go into a Blood Frenzy whenever I get too excited during combat…"

Alucard rose his hand once more, even so Shalltear could sense that he didn't seem to be as angry as before, his eyes had gone back to normal and his face looked infinitely kinder than before.

"It's preferable than my situation. I fear that combat is not the only thing, to set me off."

He fell into silence, his plan was to try and regulate his mental state through meditation and rigorous training, meditation could be done anywhere with the right conditions, training not so much. With Shalltear acting the way she was, even meditation would be impossible, but seeing her state now he almost felt bad for the poor girl, he had gone overboard once more and she did not deserve it.

"Please punish me, Alucard-sama. It is the only way I can atone for my great sin. If you wish I will even take my life…" a small flare from his eyes stopped her mid-sentence, she had once more angered him

"I don't want any of you to die. Not while I can avoid it. But if you want, maybe you can help me quench my thirst." a ray of hope illuminated Shalltear's face

"I have many items that can be used, in this sort of situation. I use the myself, I can give them to you Alucard-sama."

"I don't want any, I also have some of those myself, but I don't wish to waste them now. Go hunt me something. Preferably bring it back in one piece, without drinking from it yourself, and make it nonhuman. You have 5 minutes and for the record I'm partial to deer."

"I will do so immediately." Alucard gave her a nod, before she disappeared

* * *

The sun was already going down and Alucard was starting to wonder if deciding to have a trial run at finding criminals was a bad idea. Luckily for him he heard someone approaching from the opposite direction of the city, seeing this as the possible vindication of his choice, he looked down from the tree. Three horsemen appeared on the road, the one in front stopped his horse and the others did the same, taking in their look they were wearing several pieces of cheap looking armor and had the overall look of thugs. Alucard did not want to judge these men by their looks but he had little hope of any of them actually knowing Martial Arts, however they could be good test subjects.

"Why did you stop?" asked the bald man with a scar across his eye

"The horses are tiered and it's still a long way till our destination, we should stop here." the one in front said, he had long black hair tied up in a ponytail

"I agree with Sirius." spoke their other companion, he was wearing a hood

"Fine." growled the bald man

With that they turned in the direction of the forest in front of Alucard, a grin distorted his face as he through of the ways they could go about doing this, these men looked like trash as it is so using them wouldn't be that wrong. The vampire slapped himself, he couldn't think of them like that, he had been human once even if that had changed, he should treat them as humanly as possible and make things as quick and painless for them.

"I have returned, Alucard-sama." Shalltear announced, appearing on top of the branch with a deer in her hands

"Get down! It's going to break." Alucard cried out, jumping down

"My apologies." she said joining him under the tree, she bowed and extended the deer to him

"Thank you." Alucard said, placing the deer over his shoulder

"However, I have a question, how many of us are currently in this forest?"

"Four, Alucard-sama, me and two of my vampire brides." Shalltear quickly replied

"You plan on feeding all of us with only one deer?" the Supreme Being gave her a sarcastic smile

"N-No."

"Then go get two others. And be as discrete as possible while you do so, our prey as entered the forest."

Shalltear didn't have time to reply, Alucard was already sprinting through the forest at amazing speeds on his way to their hideout. The hideout was an underground cave, one that from what Alucard could conclude was not of natural creation and have at one time possibly been inhabited by something, that was now gone so it was perfect. He arrived at the hole that lead to the cave, it was currently covered by foliaged so it wouldn't be discovered, using his free hand he pushed it aside and jumped inside. The lack of a light source was not a problem for him or any other vampire, so he could see the two vampire brides that were at the opposite end of the cave.

"Alucard-sama." they said, bowing before him

"Here, this is for you two." he growled, dropping the carcass at their feet

"T…Thank you." they replied

"Don't mention it. When Shalltear returns, tell her I went out scouting. Also, if necessary say that I was the one that allowed you to have that."

Just like that he was gone, Alucard jumped from inside the cave and directly into a nearby tree, he had to admit outside of his mental instability this body made his work so much easier. From this distance, he could perfectly see the newly lit fire emanating from the other side of the forest. Jumping from tree to tree he quickly made his way towards the road, just before he arrived there he went back to the ground doing a silent landing as best he could, followed by stealth fully approach their camp. Alucard took not to keep his distance from them, the reason their horses there could be the chance they would peek up his presence if he made too much noise. The men, had lite a fire in the center of their camp and were now preparing the tents that would be their home for the nights, all and all it was a very basic set up. What got his attention were the necklaces they were all wearing, they all had a copper plate on them, for some reason this didn't get his hopes up of them knowing martial arts.

Shalltear dropped the two fresh deer corpses inside the cave before she herself entered, what she saw inside surprised her, the two brides were in the middle of feeding on the deer she had killed for Alucard.

"What are you two doing!?" she hissed, ready to behead them

"Alucard-sama said, that we could have this one." one of the brides replied

The True Vampire sneered at them, she had placed so much effort into getting that one specially for him, it was the healthiest one that she had found with the time Alucard had given her. Looking at the other two, they didn't look nearly as good as that one, should she perhaps go find another one, her idea quickly came to a halt when Alucard jumped into the cave.

"Good work, Shalltear." he said, with a truly grateful smile

"I am unworthy of such words." she argued back with a bow, an attempt to hide the sudden heat that rose to her face

"Nonsense. Now sit, eat, we still have things to do before we meet up with Sebas and Solution."

Alucard grabbed one of the carcasses and sat on the floor resting against one of the cave walls, Shalltear did the same but sat on the opposite side with some distance from the Supreme Being. Alucard was the first one of finish his meal, limiting himself just to drinking the blood, he then threw the body aside letting the others know if they wanted to eat the meat they would be free to do so.

"Now, Shalltear, I want to lay down some rules before we get to actually hunting martial arts users." the female vampire who still had her teeth dug into her meal simply nodded

"First, no mentioning of names unless you are given permission to do so, or you are a 100% certain that that person won't have the chance to tell it to others. Second no unnecessary killings, specially of humans…" Shalltear politely spoke

"Why? They are so fragile." she sounded like a child that had a toy taken away by a parent

"Think of it like this, we are not here, we can only reveal our presence to others when the mission calls for it. Large numbers of people going missing, will eventually start to create suspicion and we are not yet at the stage to begin making enemies. Understood?" she nodded in reply

"Also, no use of unnecessary violence. Whatever we do will be as quick and as painless as possible." he paused

"Are you finished, Shalltear?"

"I am. Alucard-sama." the female vampire replied, using a handkerchief to clean her lips

"Let's move out. You will go on ahead and intercept them head on. Simply appear near their camp, see how they react and ask them if they can use martial arts. I want to see if you are able to get them talking." having given her the necessary instructions he began to move towards the exit

"What if they attack me? Or try to touch my body?"

"I said not unnecessary violence, self-defense is allowed. You two stay behind."

* * *

Alucard chose to stay on top of a tree near the camp, Shalltear made her way through the ground, looking down at the female vampire who was calmly approaching the men, without using any kind of stealth what so ever. Perhaps he should have told her to be more careful, not that these humans looked that strong, still at the moment not being cautious wasn't an option.

"Good evening." Shalltear said, making her presence known

"Who's that?" asked the man wearing a hood

"A girl in the middle of the woods…" their leader mumbled, his hand going to the sword to his left

The maniacal laughs of the bald man filled the air, he stumbled up from where he was sitting gripping tightly in his right hand a glass bottle, Alucard placed a hand on his temple dealing with drunk people was always a mess. Now a drunk person and an inexperienced Shalltear, things could only end well he only hoped she would end him fast and without much pain.

"Now…lady why don't you help us, adventurous out?" the bald man asked, in a slow and dragged tone

"Victous, let her be!" Sirius commanded

"What!? We've been traveling for weeks, I believe we deserve a little compensation."

He was now at arm's length from the female vampire, his shaky hand began to move towards her, his objective was clear and sickening. The man's eyes went to the girls face for the first time, her eyes were blood red which sent a chill down his spine, but it was easily shadowed by the hot embrace of alcohol. Not only that, but her smile was so warm, so inviting, Victous's thoughts ended there, pain overwhelmed his senses when the lower half of his arms fell off.

"What the hell! You bitch!"

Being fueled by liquid courage, the missing limb did not stop the adventurer from using the bottle in his other hand to try and hit the girl. Shalltear sighed lightly and taking into account Alucard's words ended the poor fool, by beheading the man with another swift blow, Victous did not go down right away his body stumbled back a few steps before collapsing.

"Oliver stay back!" Sirius ordered, unsheathing his sword, and charging

"Stop." said an unfamiliar voice ordered, the tone was calm yet it was definably a command

Sirius darted to where Oliver was, much to his horror the young man was being held by a hooded figure, the figure had his right arm wrapped around the boy's neck and in the left-hand Oliver's sword being now directed at its owner's neck.

"Drop your sword." Alucard said, Sirius did not argue

"First name? Yours and his." the figure asked, motioning to Oliver

"Sirius and Oliver, respectably." the leader of the group replied

"Let me begin with apologizing for the death of your comrade. I hope you understand it was simply self defense. Are you all right?" Alucard's head motioned towards Shalltear

"Yes, A-Master." she replied, remembering that he had instructed her not to use their names, her answer made him smile lightly under his hood

"Now, Sirius I'm going to be honest with you, we are now around here and are looking for martial arts users. Would you know of any?"

"I know of Gazef…" Sirius began, he was surprisingly calm given the situation, this told Alucard this man was no mere fool

"Already know him, next."

"From what I heard there is Peter Mauk, leader of the silver class adventurer group, here in E-Rantel…" Sirius paused, when he saw the figure shift slightly

"Like I said, I am new here. Explain what is an adventurer and the class."

"Adventurers belong to a certain and they take jobs depending on their classes. The classes are represented by metals Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mythril, Orichalcum, Adamantite. We are Copper, which is the weakest."

"So Admantite, is the strongest?" Sirius nodded

"Any other martial arts users?"

"No. That's all I know."

Sirius was certain there were others he knew off, but he could only tell him the one's he was certain of having heard of being able to use martial arts. Know that he had answered this man's questions, he could only hope he would be merciful enough to let them go, but seeing what had happened to Victous he wasn't very hopeful.

"Peter Mauk, you say? Interesting…Then this is where we part ways Sirius, I have to say this was very educational. For your cooperation, you will receive a quick death." Alucard said

"Wait! I answered your question's, at least let Oliver go, he is still young!" Sirius pleaded, Alucard was surprised this man truly was decent

"What do you think we should do?" Alucard's looked at Shalltear

"They know of our present and have seen my face, we should kill them." she replied, with a cheerful smile

"You do have a point. Take comfort that it will be painless."

Alucard dropped the sword, his right arm that was tightly wrapped around the boy's neck moved with a quick yet assertive motion, Oliver's neck was instantly broken. He moved with a blur in the direction of Sirius, the man had no time to react before his neck was also broken.

"So, cool." Shalltear said

"Go get your brides, we leave in 10 minutes."

"What will you do now, Alucard-sama?"

The reason Shalltear asked, was because he was still looking over the bodies and from the exposed part of his face she could almost see a certain hint of sadness.

"Do as I have instructed."

Shalltear bowed and went back to get her subordinates, Alucard sighed and thought of what he was going to do to them, especially Sirius and Oliver. First thing he did was free the horses and extinguish their fire, he could only hope they weren't that well known adventurers. Burying them would only be a waste of time, so Alucard limited himself with wrapping the bodies in the cloth that was going to be used for the tents, then he left the bodies to their fates.

Shalltear arrived while he was just finishing dragging the bodies under a tree, even if she thought this to be strange she did not question it, she had committed too many mistakes as it is.

"I have contacted Sebas, he says we can use Gate to move to his current location." she informed

"Let's move out then."

* * *

The Guardian bowed and opened the portal, Alucard was the first to walk in, followed by her and finally the two brides. They arrived in an alley, it was dark and had little room to move around, especially with the quantity of people emerging from the portal, in the darkest part of the alley Sebas was waiting.

"Shalltear stay behind." Alucard commanded, just as she was about to exit the portal

"Alucard-sama." Sebas greeted

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Sebas. Is it not risky for you to come meet me here?"

"There is no reason for worry, I made sure no one notice that I had left."

"I take it that Shalltear and I are supposed to work with you and Solution. Correct?"

"Yes, Alucard-sama. We are working on information gathering, we will be staying here for a few more days before leaving. Shalltear is supposed to come with us."

"Then we will keep to the plan. Isn't staying here as well?"

"He is. He actually left today on his first mission as an adventurer."

"Is that so?" Alucard asked, sounding surprised

"Yes, he left with a group named Swords of Darkness."

"Dammit." Alucard hissed

"Is something wrong, Alucard-sama?"

"That group, I was considering going after their leader, but seems I will have to change my plans. No matter, anything else you would like to report, Sebas?"

"No, mi lord."

"I'll be going back then, when the time comes to leave contact us."

"I will."

Alucard waved him goodbye and left through the same portal he had arrived from, Shalltear and her brides were waiting on the other side. He was originally planning on going after the group, so they would be leaving this area, but now it seems like staying in this forest could give them more opportunities.

"You two." he suddenly spoke up, looking at the brides

"Make them look, like they were attacked by an animal." Alucard motioned towards the corpses

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

"Then go back to the hide out and wait for our return."

"Are we going somewhere, Alucard-sama?" Shalltear asked

"Hunting, Shalltear."


	5. The Golden Princess

Alucard wondered how it had ended up like this, he had stated before that violence would only be used when necessary, so the current situation he blamed it on the humans and their stupidity. He and Shalltear stood in another camp, with a fire lightning up the area under the night sky, the group this time was made up by five humans. This time they managed to actually find a martial arts user, the leader of the group, which made him Shalltears opponent while Alucard took care of the rest. Since he had to deal with four people, the Supreme Being was only able to see the first exchange of blows between the Guardian and the human, missing the following second do to the other small fry.

Having taken care of the others, he saw the rest of the confrontation, he wasn't sure if Shalltear noticed it even if the man was now visibly desperate, there was a noticeable change in strength and speed. However even this was not enough before the female vampire and soon he was on his knees breathing heavily from exhaustion, apparently he had burnt himself out.

"Did you notice any change in him?" Alucard asked, placing a hand on Shalltear's shoulder so she would stop

"I did not, Master." she replied, her eyes still fixed on the man

"I see your senses are still deafened to such things. Between the first blow and now, both his strength and speed increased, even if momentarily." Alucard pointed out, walking up to the man

"What martial arts did you use?"

"[Ability Boost]…and…[Flow Acceleration]…" the man panted

"You know more techniques?" the human simply shook his head in reply

"I see. Let's take him to Neuronist, he's weak but should give us some much-needed information." Alucard announced

Having taken the man to the Frozen Prison, they returned to the camp, Alucard ordered Shalltear to loot everything she found of worth, while he looked through the men's bags to see if some information could be found there. Searching through the leader's things he found a parchment, opening it Alucard found himself unable to read it, placing it aside he found two other interesting things these were images so he could understand them. One was a rudimentary map, that showed a path from E-Rantel to a certain location marked with an X and the other were the pictures of a young girl and a young-looking man, with something written under each image.

"[Eyes of Knowledge]." it was a simple spell that allowed the user to read any type of language

First thing he read were the annotations under the pictures, the girl was Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself and the man was Climb. Alucard then went back to the map, it was simple yet had some very specific things drawn on it, looking around he was almost convinced that the X was their current location.

"Shalltear, for how long do you think he ran, before we arrived here?"

"Around 4 hours." Alucard nodded in agreement

He went on to the first parchment, it was a message directed to a man named Klaus, who the vampire assumed to be the leader of this group, skimming though the paper's contents he let out a low hiss.

"Shalltear, come here." he growled

"Right away, Alucard-sama." once she was to his side he began to speak

"You'll have to listen to this as well." Alucard paused for a brief moment

"Klaus, I've found another job for you, this one will be riskier than the others as the target is the Golden Princess. The rules are the same, it will be you and two other teams, like before we made sure no one knowns each other. When it comes to her bodyguard, Climb, you and another team will have to job of handling him, while the others will take care of the rest of her guards..." he didn't read the rest

"Are these them?" Shalltear asked, picking up the paper with the pictures

"Yes." Alucard replied

How lucky could they be? Not only did they find a martial arts user, but also found a princess and her bodyguard. If the name Golden Princess, meant she was actually related to royalty her bodyguard possibly could be a martial arts user. Going after a possible member of royalty was a bold move, a move that for some reason Alucard was unsure this Klaus and the other teams were able to actually accomplish. These teams two could also be interesting, if they were being chosen to go up against such powerful people, they must also be pretty formidable in their own right. Also, there could be some profit to be made, if he managed to get on a princess's right side even if it would come about from such a violent situation.

"Shalltear, get rid of these bodies, now!" he ordered, she bowed and obeyed immediately

While Shalltear worked on getting rid of the bodies, he began to gather the men's belongings using the materials that would normally be used for five tents to build one massive tent and place all the belongings inside on a pile so if anyone would enter they couldn't tell that it belonged to more than 2 people. He also released all the horses, making sure they would quickly abandon the area, since he was thinking of presenting himself and Shalltear as vampires, horses were not necessary. Even if it was a problem them knowing of their existence, it was easily fixed by the fact Alucard did not plan to let them leave this place alive.

"We're going to stay here a take part in this plan. For now, till instructed otherwise you will call me Klaus." Alucard announced, one Shalltear returned

"Yes, A…Klaus-sama." Shalltear replied, with a bow

"Drop the honorific and the bows. We have to truly act as equals for this one…Since we are male and female…" Alucard drifted into thought

"We should act like lovers?" Shalltear immediately voiced

"Perhaps…Do you happen to have any other clothes with you?" Shalltear blushed slightly, before replying

"I did not."

"Then perhaps lovers will work. That would explain your current clothing, the reason I brought you with me can also be easily explained. We just need a name for you…Liria, what about that?" Alucard looked back at Shalltear, like he had just given the best idea ever

"It sounds…lovely, A-Klaus." Shalltear's face immediately went red

"I cannot say such a thing, it's too rude!"

"For the moment, it will have to do. Come on let's go inside, let the fire burn itself out."

Alucard entered the large tent, Shalltear remained outside, he sat down looking at the entrance and could see her take timid steps towards the tent. Alucard raised an eyebrow at her, did something happen for her to be acting this way, was she possibly flustered by him saying that they would be acting as lovers. The Guardian finally entered the tent and was still with her head flush red and seemed restless while looking down at the sitting Alucard.

"Since we will be posing as lovers…Will I have my first time here?" he had to admit she was persistent

"Why, did you bring up this again?"

"I-If we are to act as lovers, shouldn't we show a certain intimacy before the others? So, they won't suspect of anything?" she did raise a point, yet an exaggerated one

"True, Liria. However, that does not involve what you brought up about your first time. But before anyone arrives, I apologize for any offence I may cause you during the remainder of this mission." Alucard replied, readying himself for another session of meditation

"But there is no need for an apology. You have only to say and my body is yours!"

"Silence, use the remaining time to calm your mind. Acting isn't as easy as one might think."

* * *

The sunlight was still dim when Alucard heard the sound of several horses approaching, his eyes opened lazily as he had spent every second till now meditating, his eyes went to were Shalltear was before he closed them, she was gone. Looking through the opening in front of him, he could see her outside most likely she got bored of waiting, finally the sound of the horses stopped.

"I wasn't expecting a castle!" a man laughed, clearly referring to the size of the tent

"What a beauty." said another, referring to Shalltear

Alucard blinked several times, getting into character, finally he lifted himself up and marched out of the tent to meet those he would be working with. There were nine horsemen standing before him, however these could be divided into two distinct groups. One of them, which was composed by five people, had outfits that varied from individual to individual and their leader seemed to be a woman. The others were black cloaks, rode on black horses and wore masks shaped like bird beaks with only their eyes exposed, they were very similar to what in world Alucard called plague doctors. Taking a deep breath his first move was a bold one, he walked up to Shalltear wrapped one arm around her and leaned down on neck.

"Liria, be a dear and let me handle this."

Shalltear's face turned bright red, the feeling of his strangely hot breath bearing down on her was too much for her to keep her composure, there was a feeling surging from her lower abdomen.

"I-I'll leave it to you then." she mumbled, going back to the tent

"I take it you the other team hired to deal with Climb?" the woman asked

"I am, the name's Klaus." from under his hood Alucard could see her expression change

"It's surprising to see that we will be working with vampires." one of the masked men said, the woman simply nodded

"It's surprising that they thought I would need a team for this job." Alucard hissed back, sarcastically

"Vampires do tend to lack a certain, delicate touch."

"Then you haven't meet the right vampire, miss…" Alucard paused to hear her name

"Gaia."

"And you men?"

"You don't need to know their names, if you have any questions direct them to me." Alucard nodded with a smile

"And the four gentlemen?"

"We are the Franklin Brothers. I am Lottus, like her you don't need to know the names of the others."

"Then I am Klaus and she was my concubine, Liria."

"Then perhaps we could meet her, to show how connected we all are as a team?" suggested one of the men to Gaia's right

"I tend to be possessive of my toys, so I will have to decline."

"Do you have a plan, Gaia?" Lottus asked, changing the subject

"Our information indicates the target is travelling by carriage, two other carriages filled with soldiers are placed behind and in front of hers. With the map, we have been given my team can easily place traps to dispatch of those two. The rest will be up to you and the vampire."

"I think I can take him." Alucard interjected

"We are glad you are feeling optimistic. But we also have a part to play in this, however if you think you can take him on in close quarters combat do so. Just make sure you move him to an open area so we can do our job, and make your life easier." Lottus said

"And what will you do to him?"

"You will see when the time comes."

"If you two are finished, my team will prepare the traps. We have a few hours till she passes through here." Gaia roared, silencing both men

"Good luck. I'll be waiting in my tent." Alucard waved them a farewell and vanished into the tent

Inside Shalltear was sitting inside in one of the corners, Alucard sat in the same place he had spent the night, once more he closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. It didn't take long for him to feel someone close to him, he opened his eyes and looked to his left there was Shalltear, sitting next to him but at a distance that if one entered would question how close they actually were.

"As a concubine, I should stay close to you. And make sure I am at hand, if you are in need of me."

"I fear, you may take my actions too seriously. Remember we are acting." Alucard replied

"Never. I know very well this situation is simply for the greater good of Nazarik."

Alucard who had his legs crossed, extend his right, he extended his left arm towards Shalltear wrapped it around her, pulling the female vampire towards him so she would now be sitting in front of him.

"If that is the case, let's see what we have. To begin with, from what you've heard, what do you think of these people?" Alucard asked, given his size he was looking down on her

"I think they should properly punished for the way they speak to you, Klaus."

Alucard rolled his eyes, she had yet to properly get into character, but if she could keep these little outbursts to just when they were alone it wouldn't be a problem. The fact that she continued to call him Klaus, made him proud of her, since having her call him by another name without honorifics was his main cause for concern. Which meant that what he was doing now with her, that was completely justified because of the role they are playing before the others, was completely justified and in no way morally questionable.

"Ignoring that. What do you think?"

"The brothers are playing on using you as bait to lure out Climb."

"That's true. What do you think they plan to do to him?"

"I don't know…" she replied

Her weak answer was met with Alucard tightening his hold on her, however it wasn't as simple as just pulling her towards him, he was pushing his fingers in the stop right under her ribs, which made it slightly uncomfortable.

"Try to rephrase that."

"We do not have enough information to properly access the situation." she said, her breath becoming heavy

"I agree with you, Liria good work. What about the rest?" the pressure being applied by his fingers dropped, Shalltear couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed

"They don't seem to be anything special, since they are only going to make traps." his grip on her tightened again

"Is that so? But Gaia said we just had a few hours to prepare, how will they make traps in such a short period of time?"

"Magic! Or they are simple, easy to make, traps." Shalltear gasped, the pressure on her body reduced

"You did very good Liria. I think you have already picked a few things up during our short time together."

"Thank you, Klaus."

Alucard looked down at her, something felt wrong, she felt weak even if he was no longer holding her so tightly she definitely felt weaker, her legs too were completely limp and something smelled strange around her, it was a new fragrance that he had yet to smell on her.

"Did something happen?" his voice was starting to show a little hint of concern

"My apologies, I seem to have gotten a little too excited and made a…mess."

The Supreme Being, did his best not to over react because at the moment he was unsure of what to do or how to react, he could swear that he had done nothing to get this type of reaction from it. Once more he questioned what had Peroroncino programmed into her, or more precisely what hadn't he programmed into her, to make Shalltear like this.

"Its best I leave so you can recompose yourself."

Seeing it to be fit to leave her alone to clean up her "mess" in private, Alucard fully released his grip on Shalltear, proceeded to get up and walk out of the tent, at the entrance he stopped seemed to sigh and looked back. As he did so, Shalltear felt a small hint of hope that he wouldn't walk away, but his glance lasted less than a second and just like that he was gone, she smiled weakly, to contain the thunderous roar of join being held within her.

* * *

The plan was simple, first one has to take into account the landscape, the road the target will be using is narrow, so the carriages are forced to move in a straight line one in front of the other. Second Alucard and the other's position relative to the road, they were on a cliff that dropped 30 feet down into the road and the road had 16 feet ledge before dropping 32 feet. It wasn't the safest of roads, but it was stable and rarely used explaining why their target was using it.

The traps set out by Gaia's team were simple, for the first carriage they had used magic to dig out the ground on the road and then covered the plan was for when it passed over the covered hole the carriage would drop inside. Once inside the hole the people inside would be finished off with arrows, for the third carriage a log had been placed on top of the hill to be released and take it out. Alucard didn't complain, they were simple traps, yet seemed to be enough for what they wanted, since his target was Climb and the Princess what happened to the others wasn't his problem. Shalltear was not to accompany him, since she had been presented as his concubine there was no reason for her to be involved.

Alucard, Gaia and Lottus looked over the road, the other brothers were standing behind them, while the rest of Gaia's team was in position to release the log once the target was in position. Alucard was the first to sense the carriages, his keen ears detecting them before anyone else could, of course he informed the rest and told them to get ready. Soon the carriages were passing by them, the first one went over the covered hole a small creak could be heard before they sunk into the hole without any resistance. The impact was violent and certainly must have at least stunned the soldiers inside the carriage, it also injured the horses pulling it. Then the log was released, it had a much bigger impact on the third carriage hitting it full force after rolling down the hill, not only did the log hit the carriage but also send it down the edge of the road.

"Klaus, go on ahead!" Lottus ordered

The vampire gave him a low hiss before jumping down on to the roof of the remaining carriage, the impact was enough to cut clean through the carriage, luckily for the two individuals inside they jumped out towards the edge before Alucard landed. Emerging from the debris, Alucard emerged before the targets, much to his surprise a blade was already between him and Renner. Climb had already acted and readied himself for combat, while Renner cowered behind her bodyguard, Alucard smile under his hood the boy certainly looked determined.

"Boy, I ask you to stop moving towards the edge. I need the girl alive." Alucard said, placing his right hand on the hilt of his katana

Climb did not reply, he had no way to do so, it was true after all he only had so many steps he could take back before being cornered. In front of him stood one large man equipped with a katana and it seemed like he had jumped from the top of the cliff without using anything to stop his fall, a dangerous foe but he was still some distance away. Looking to his right, there was the other carriage inside a pit, to the left the way was clear it meant he would have more room to fight and not risk falling off a cliff.

"Must I bypass you, to get to her?" his enemy asked, the sarcasm in his voice made Climb's rage grow

"I'm going to start moving slowly to the left, please remain behind me." Climb said, in a low tone so only Renner would hear

"Such a good dog, protecting his master."

Alucard tightened his hold on his katana, opened his leg's slightly, lowered his body and looked up, before charging. Climb couldn't say he thought about what he was going, he wrapped his left arm around the princess and threw himself to the left, just as their attacker made a downwards slash in his direction. Ignoring the massive dust cloud lifted by the impact of the blade on the ground, Climb started to run towards the open area, apologizing profusely in his mind for forcing his master to be involved in such situation.

Having gotten some distance between himself and the attacker, Climb was still trying to think of what he could do, the man, if it was a man, that was now his opponent transmitted an unnerving presence. It made him shiver with fear and uncertainty, but he couldn't let those fears overwhelm him, he had to protect his master at all costs even if it meant losing his life. From the cloud of lifted dust, the hooded figure broke through and started to advance his katana once more sheathed with the right hand resting on the hilt.

"Before we go any further. Are you planning to fight me? I mean, I understand you having to protect her, but you won't be able to get rid of me while you shield her."

Climb swallowed dry, he was correct as much as it pained him in this situation Renner was only making things harder for him, he couldn't properly try to fight this individual while protecting her.

"And I also won't be able to enjoy myself, if she is in the way."

"Then allow us to help you."

The young soldier quickly looked behind him in the direction of the voice, standing just a few feet from Renner and himself, were four masked figures.

"We've dealt with the rest." spoke a woman

Looking back at his opponent, Climb now saw five people with bows standing near the carriages, how was this possible, how could he possibly miss so many threats in one place. What should he do first, try to find a way around this, turn around and attack the masked men, maybe not they could be magic casters or be masked for some other reason.

"You are all very helpful I truly appreciate it. However, I will have this finished shortly." Alucard said

He a similar stance as before, but this time his head hung low, seeing this Climb placed his uneasy sword in the way of the incoming attack, trying to block it was the best thing he could do. What happened next he couldn't follow with his eyes, from his point of view the man had not moved, but there was a dust cloud around him signaling movement, his head nearly went blank trying to understand what had happened. Then it happened, the five figures standing near the carriages collapsed on the ground, their heads no longer attached to their bodies.

"What have you done!?" roared Lottus

Alucard did not reply, he jumped clean over Climb and Renner, landing in front of Lottus he brought his hand up to the man's chin sending him flying, the other three brother's jumped back ready to retaliate. The vampire, jumped at the brother that had jumped in the direction of the edge, grabbing him by the mask he threw him at one of the other brothers, for the remaining he easily closed the distance between them taking him out with an uppercut. In the end, he had used just the necessary strength to knock them out, there was something in them that made Alucard think they could have useful information.

For Climb it was as if time had stopped, because in one instant the hooded figure was in front of him, the other he was standing behind them with the other four collapsed on the ground. The young soldier, looked at the figure certainly this could not be a human, if his mind wasn't exaggerating things he was superior to even Gazef Strolonoff. Seeing him kill those, who seemed to be working with him, made Climb worry, this man was as ruthless as they come, killing his comrades to get all the glory for himself.

"My apologies." Alucard said, Climb did not understand what was happening

"It was not my intention to hurt or scare, the both of you. I just had to let them go this far so I was certain of their plan."

"This was all an act!?" Climb asked, not measuring his tone of voice, letting his fear and desperation show

"Yes. Like I said, I acted as one of them till I was sure of their plan, I can't simply go around killing people who I believe to be criminals. It costed a few lives, but the one that mattered is safe." Alucard's head turned in the direction of Renner

"Then you mean us not harm?" Renner spoke for the first time, her voice was shaky

"I do not."

"You have my gratitude stranger." the princess said

"There is no need for formalities. I'm knew around here, so I really don't know who you are." Alucard let out an awkward laugh

"I am Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself. Third Princess of Re-Estize Kingdom and the youngest daughter of King Ramposa III." the girl announced

"It's an honor. I'm Alucard." the vampire said, taking a small bow

"And he's my personal bodyguard, Climb."

Alucard looked at the boy, he seemed to have the look of a warrior, but something was missing something that from his point of view, was a deadly flaw. This soldier, was still lacking that was evident, he had done nothing in the way to fight off his attackers, could it have been because his initial opponent was Alucard? If that was the case it was possible that he could have taken care of the others by himself, since outside of the unknown powers of the Franklin brothers the others were rather weak. The Supreme Being pondered on what could have happened if he wasn't present, things might have been messy to say the least.

"Climb, you must be one of the kingdoms great warriors to be accompanying the princess. I wish we would have had the opportunity to cross blades."

"I…I'm not…" he mumbled

"Is that so? Then for you to be guarding her…" Renner interrupted Alucard

"Climb is fine! He will be able to protect me at any time."

"Is that so…You must know Gazef, correct?" Alucard asked

"We do." Renner replied

"Please, if possible, send him my regards."

There was a reason Alucard changed the subject so quickly, he couldn't call it fear but a sense of uneasiness, some people said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, he did not believe in such things but what he saw in her made him think otherwise. He had seen eyes like hers before, he had met and talked with people like what her before, he had worked with and for them even. Dangerous did not begin to describe what they were, the lack of morality made one a formidable foe, even now that he was much stronger than his human body his instincts told him to not take her lightly.

"Once more, I apologize for the situation. Climb, you should be able to make it to your destination if you take one of the remaining horses. For me I have to take my leave." with another small bow he turned around and began to walk away

"Wouldn't you want to join us? After protecting one of the King's children, you can receive a large reward." Renner pointed out

"I don't do this for the rewards, or the credit, but I appreciate the sentiment. I'm sure that I will end up meeting you again, so perhaps then we can talk about it, but now I really need to get these four out of here."

While he talked, he was picking up the Franklin brothers, placing two over each shoulder like they were simple bags of potatoes. Then giving the duo one final nod, he jumped back to the cliff he had initially emerged from, making his way back to camp Shalltear.

"You may address me like usual now. And I appreciate your patience, next target will be yours, now open a Gate."

The Brothers would be taken to be questioned in the Frozen Prison, after leaving them there Alucard and Shalltear went back to the camp, having completed their task here and still having half of the day left, finding another target was possible.

"Shall we get going?" Alucard asked

"Yes, Alucard-sama. I am very eager to see what we will find next."


	6. The Nature of Lottus

Alucard sat on top of a tree branch, it had been another bust, this time a group of mercenaries with only one martial arts user who was nothing of note, so he allowed Shalltear to run wild on them.

"That's enough, Shalltear." he shouted, she was starting to enjoy herself a little too much

"My apologies, Alucard-sama." the Guardia replied, with a bow

"We've been at this for a while. I thought Sebas would have already contacted us." Alucard remarked, jumping down from the tree

"Should I contact him and scold him for making you wait, Alucard-sama?" Shalltear suggested, he couldn't help but laugh at her words

"No…It's fine. Where should we go next?"

"Perhaps we should go back to our hideout, just in case Sebas contacts us."

It was an option, but being closer to E-Rantel wouldn't make any difference since they could use Gate to quickly go back there, if Sebas was to contact them. Alucard was thinking of other options, when he heard a busing sound in his head, someone was trying to contact him via Message.

[Who is this?] he asked

[It's Neuronist Painkill, Alucard-sama.] a female voice replied

[Did something happen, why are you contacting me?]

[I have "processed" the one's you've sent. But I wanted to confirm something about, the one you pointed out from the masked men, Lottus Franklin…] Alucard spoke over her

[What is it?]

[I was starting the process and removed his mask, I was unaware he was an Elder Lich.]

[What!?]

How was this possible, if Lottus was an undead he would certainly be able to smell decay on him, then how did he mask it. Thinking back, imagining the few times he was with Lottus, he could only remember the smell of something old, it wasn't a flesh but rather cloth, that must have been what masked his nature from him.

[Have you started the interrogation?]

[Not yet. I stopped when I contacted you…] once more he interrupted her

[Then wait till I get there!] Alucard dropped the Message

"Shalltear, go back to the hideout. If something happens, contact me."

* * *

Alucard opened a Gate and vanished, arriving at Nazarik it didn't take him long to make his way to the Frozen Prison. When he approached the entrance to the prison, three figures in pure white dresses opened the doors for him, letting out a gust of even colder wind to hit the True Vampire.

"Alucard-sama." his Brides welcomed him

"Talia, Nyx, Touka, it's a pleasure to see you again. I take it that you are looking after the prisoners I have brought in?" Alucard asked, sighing internally since he hadn't brought that many useful people in

"We are following your orders, just as you told us." Talia replied

"It's boring…but we're doing it." Touka added

"We're doing our best." Nyx said

"Good work, all of you."

Alucard walked inside the building, looking down at the youngest vampire her child like expression became irresistible to him, he moved down placed his arm under her and lifted Nyx up so she would be seating on his arm, with her right arm resting over his shoulder.

"Alucard-sama!" she gasped

"Don't be so loud. I'm sure you are tiered." he said, in a reassuring manner

"So, lucky…" he heard Touka mumble

"Talia, please lead the way." he said, motioning her to take the lead

"As you wish."

The Bride guided him to a room where Neuronist and Lottus were waiting, Alucard carefully placed Nyx down and went inside, closing the door behind him. Lottus was unmasked and strapped to a wall, Neuronist was waiting by the wall to his left. The unmasked figure wasn't a pleasant sight, his flesh was rotten with a pale green color to it, most of his right side was reduced to bone with a missing eye and now that his mask was gone the smell of death was evident.

"Good day, Lottus." Alucard greeted

"It's you traitor…" the Lich hissed

"The name's Alucard. And I'm no traitor, I simply took the place of Klaus. Neuronist have you checked on his brothers?" Alucard asked, looking back at her

"I took the liberty to do so. They are ordinary corpses."

"Hold your tongue wench! They are my kin!" he roared back at her

"How rude. Perhaps I should cut that pretty little tongue of yours." Neuronist chuckled mischievously

"Not without my permeation. What do you mean they are your kin?"

"What do you mean, vampire? They are my brothers. They were weak minded yes, but still my kin who better to accompany me through eternity."

"So, you brought them back, as puppets?"

"Yes. That is my greatest power, to use corpses as my servants."

Talkative guy, perhaps it was because of the fact he lived with four inanimate corpses and in some crypt from the way his clothes smelled. Being the first Elder Lich they found, Alucard was happy he had not killed him, he was also valuable to them as a possible soldier and information source.

"Why not join us, Lottus? You can work under the greatest magic caster in the world."

"Certainly, you are not speaking of yourself!?" Lottus laughed

"Indeed, I am speaking of Ainz Ooal Gown. But you will know of that soon enough. Neuronist."

"Yes, Alucard-sama?" she asked, her voice sounding like a shy school girl

"See if you can get him to understand that the best option is joining us."

"It will be a pleasure." she said, with a bow

"Then I'm going back. It's been a pleasure Lottus, hope we can talk again someday."

"Wait! Don't turn your back on me, Alucard! You think you can break me!? I've lived for longer than you can possibly imagine." Alucard stopped and moved his head to the right so he could look at Neuronist

"You can remove his tongue, just make sure he gets it back once you are done. Try not to break his mind to bad either, we still need the information he has. Ainz will be interested in his personal history as well. So, be careful with how far you take things, just make sure he understands where his loyalty should be placed. And don't forget to inform Albedo when you are done, so she can inform Ainz."

Alucard exited the room, he had other places to be and torture was not his thing, so he was going to do his best to avoid it, waiting outside were his Brides he picked up Nyx once more and began to walk towards the exit, this time without anyone leading the way.

"Continue to keep an eye on the people I send over." he said in a monotone

"Is something amiss, Alucard-sama?" Talia asked, having noticed his tone

"It's nothing to worry about, Talia."

"How are things with Shalltear, Alucard-sama? Must be pretty boring having her around." Touka remarked, with a sarcastic laugh

"Alucard-sama, has Shalltear's smell on him." Nyx mumbled, Alucard froze as he felt a pair of eyes fall on him

"Is that so?" Touka hissed

"It also seems it's been a while since you have taken a bath. You should take better care of yourself, Alucard-sama." Talia added

"What can I say, I've been busy…" Alucard tried to argue back, but Touka mumbled something

"Spending time with Shalltear, instead of us."

"Hey! I'm simply doing the mission Ainz gave me, it can't be help if it is with her."

"Then you have been close to her…" Talia gasped, in a low tone

"Because we did some undercover work. And I'm sure you are all exaggerating things when you think "been close"."

Alucard looked down, sighing internally, doing so his eyes went to Nyx who was looking up at him, with the strangest expression on her face, she seemed confused by the conversation. Till now everything he said was just adding more wood into the fire, he didn't want to pull rank on them but this conversation had already gone out of control.

"Alucard-sama…Are you close with Shalltear?" Nyx asked, with a small innocent blush

"Only because the mission requires it, nothing else. You two be silent!"

"Yes, Alucard-sama." Talia and Touka replied

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the prison, he set Nyx down and opened the doors leading to the frozen wasteland that was the 5th Floor.

"Then, I'll be on my way."

"Take care."

* * *

Shalltear was patiently waiting inside the cave, her brides continued to stand near the deeps part of it, while she sat in a place some of the moonlight would hit her pale skin, she was bored and thinking of a way to kill that boredom. Perhaps she could organize something with her brides for when Alucard returned, rethinking the idea she considered that it may not work, he was strong willed and would not give in so easily. That alone only made her want to have him even more, she could only imagine what would happen once he finally let himself go. A Gate broke her concentration, through it emerged Alucard who was strangely smelling himself, Shalltear could not begin to understand the reason for him to do such a thing.

"I may need a shower." Alucard said, not really addressing anyone

"Nonsense, such a strong smell is only fitting of a great warrior like, Alucard-sama. It servers to accentuate your beauty and virility." Shalltear protested passionately, getting back up

"I see. What about you Shalltear, you haven't changed much since we left."

Even if the question was somewhat rude and one should never ask a lady about something of this nature, Alucard couldn't help but wonder why she looked as if she had just left Nazarik without having spent hours running through the forest. Much like he expected, she blushed and replied shyly.

"I-I have an assortment of items to deal with such things."

Alucard fought back the urge to facepalm, it made so much sense he should have thought of it earlier, but nothing could be done about it now, he should really be getting a shower. Having Talia pointing it out was the thing that made him worry, she was the one that had pointed out that he should chose his clothing based on the image he wished to transmit, this was similar.

"I think I'm going to find a place to shower."

"Perhaps, Sebas can arrange for something in E-Rantel. No, it would be best if Alucard-sama went back to Nazarik for such things."

"Don't be ridiculous, I can't spend that much time on it. If I remember correctly there was a river not too far from here, I can wash up there. I'll return in 10 minutes." with this he opened another Gate

"Wait. Should I go with you? To make sure you are safe."

"Not happening."

Alucard vanished soon after, leaving Shalltear all the more frustrated she couldn't risk miss an opportunity like this, she would have to act, now she needed to find a way to go see him. In the end, she couldn't think of anything she could possibly do, that wouldn't incur his wrath and she had had enough of that as it is.

* * *

The Supreme Being had found the aforementioned river, removing his clothes and placing them near the edge of the water he went in. Of course, he did not expect that this would properly clean him, this was but a quick fix to his problem, when it came to his clothing he would also have to wash them in the river. He took a moment just to calmly float in the water, thinking of how things weren't going as he expected, he couldn't say he had imagined this search to be easy, but it was much more difficult than he expected. He had been hopeful martial arts users were more numerous than this, but now he was running out of any good ideas to find them. The only thing he was almost certain off, was that the best should be in the same location as Gazef, after all a strong man does tend to attract similar adversaries. If Gazef worked directly for the king, he would have to go find the king, which presented even more problems for him.

Alucard got back to his feet, no longer floating in the water, he removed the water from his hair like one would do with a wet shirt and began to smell around. Something was near, he was certain of it, the sent was familiar it wasn't Shalltear, but it was similar to her.

"Show yourself!" he roared

From behind a tree emerged one of the vampire brides, the poor thing didn't offer much resistance to his words, how could she he outranked even her mistress.

"Look at the ground." Alucard growled, there was the possibility Shalltear had placed some kind of spell to be able to see through her eyes

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." her gaze went straight down to her feet

"Now, why are you here?"

"Shalltear-sama sent me, she was worried about you."

The bride's heart began to beat even faster, not only because of the situation she was in, but also from the sound of him moving through the water in her direction. To me more precise, Alucard had decided to end his bath and get out of the water, grabbing his clothing he sat by the edge of the river and began to wash them the best he could.

"Is that so? Did she use some kind of magic on you, before you came here?"

"She did. The mistress said it would help her watch over you."

Alucard felt pity for her, she was a mere subordinate being used by Shalltear in her foolish plans and now being questioned by someone who outranked her master, truly this was a pitiful existence. A grin came over his face, if she was willing to go this far, maybe he should have some fun with it. The True vampire got back up, placed his clothes on top of a nearby rock, then walked up to the bride who was still looking down.

"So, she is seeing and hearing us right now?"

"I'm not sure. I believe that to be the case."

"Then look up."

The bride began to slowly move her head up, first his feet, then his legs, she was thankful he was wearing brown shorts there was no way she could have kept her composure if he wasn't, followed by his toned upper body and finally his face.

"Is something wrong? You're blushing." Alucard chucked

"My greatest apology! I am showing my unbecoming side to, Alucard-sama…" he placed a finger on her lips to silence her

"Don't mention it." his voice was low, it sounded like a purr to her

"I…I'm…I'm unworthy of this." she managed to say

"What are you saying? Haven't you worked hard? Haven't you served both me and Shalltear to the best of your abilities?" she simply nodded

"Then I think a proper reward is necessary to match such effort."

Alucard continued to speak in a low soothing tone, he carefully leaned down on her getting closer and closer to her neck. The bride could now feel his breath on her skin, it made her heart race with both anticipation and fear of what her master would do to her, if she was indeed seeing things from her point of view, she should close her eyes and so as to not cause pain to Shalltear.

"Do not think of closing your eyes. I don't like to see my women hiding their beautiful eyes from me…" he paused before adding something else

"I also don't like people watching me during my private time. [Static]."

Alucard casted a simple spell, it was a 4th tier spell if he remembered correctly but it could also work on Information magic of the two tier above it just with a smaller success rate and duration. Much like the name indicated, it would block the feed between the person being watched and the watcher, with luck this would give him enough time.

* * *

Shalltear couldn't say she was livid, after all if she were her anger would be directed at Alucard and she couldn't do that. She admitted sending the bride, affected by magic, was a mistake but she was too desperate to fully consider all the possibilities. What she had no expected was how he reacted, why was he acting so cordially towards one of her minions and not her, why did he block her view of them? Could it be that he was going to take the bride, instead of her in order to teach her a lesson?

She had counted 5 minutes before they returned, the bride was the first to emerge from the portal she took slow steps into the cave bowing before Shalltear before joining the other bride, Alucard came next, with his clothes back on and a satisfied smile on his face. Shalltear had not checked on the spell after Static had been used, but she was ready to assume the worst in this situation, not wanting to question the time it took them to come back, she was thinking about what she should do.

"Is something the matter, Shalltear?" Alucard asked

"No…Nothing…"

"You seem a bit flustered. Was it because your bride was discovered, or was it because I did not mind her presence?" she could see his grin widening under his hood

"Did something happen!?" she spat in desperation, turning towards the bride

"I am not allowed to say." the bride replied, looking down

"So, that is what is troubling you." the Surpreme Being said, with a chuckle

"Yes! I mean no…Alucard-sama is free to bed with any one he wishes, but to take a simple bride over me is…" she had no words to complete the phrase

Alucard kept his smile, calmly walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, for Shalltear it was if time froze to once more have bodily contact with Alucard was breath taking. In the back of her mind, she cursed herself for having brought her brides along, someone like them had experienced the same feeling she did now, and had even surpassed that entirely.

"I'm glad you understand. Then I hope you will so understand this…" he turned around and took a few steps forward before speaking

"Theatricality and deception are powerful agents."

Shalltear's gasp filled the cave, what did he mean, could this possibly have been a joke? Something way he found to amuse himself at her expense?

"Then…" she managed to say

"Nothing happened."

"But I saw…" he raised his hand to stop her

"I needed make you believe, Shalltear. Sending one of your brides in your place, I would have to respond adequately to such action."

Alucard watched on as Shalltear was about to reply, but suddenly her expression changed turning more serious, seeing this Alucard changed his to match the tone. She didn't speak for a while, which made him conclude someone had reached her via Message and she was in the process of answering them.

"My greatest apologies. It was Sebas, he says that we will leave shortly."

"Then, open a Gate, send us to where we need to be."

* * *

Inside the carriage, it was Solution, Sebas and the vampire bride, that had been sent to spy on Alucard in the river, seated opposite to them was Shalltear, Alucard and the other bride. For a while there was nothing but silence, Alucard had his eyes closed while he pondered on their change of location and what precautions they should take, the one to break the silence was Sebas.

"Alucard-sama, can I make a request on behalf of Solution?"

The Supreme Being, who was till now silent and with his head low, began to move slowly and lazily, his head went to the butler and then to the girl seating next to him.

"I want to hear it from her."

"As you wish, mi lord." Sebas replied

"Alucard-sama, can I have the driver of this carriage?"

"Why him specifically?"

"Because he said, that he wanted to enjoy me, I also think the same thing about him."

Alucard greeted his teeth, to think that he had come across so many of these men since the arrived here, truly this was the lowest of the low.

"Do as you wish."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama."

He fell back into silence, while he pondered on what was to come the Shalltear and Sebas began to talk, honestly, he wasn't listening to the conversation, he was focused on other things. From what Sebas had informed him, an attack should happen at any moment, how troublesome more small fries to take care of, however it would present another opportunity to find martial arts users. Alucard hoped this to be the case, so far he hadn't found that many and had brought even fewer back to Nazarik, even if Ainz hadn't specified a number he wanted to at least have more than a hand full of them.

Alucard was brought back from his thoughts when he felt the atmosphere in the carriage become heavy, his eyes darted open as he lifted his head to look around. His keen gaze went straight to Shalltear, her eyes were glowing with killing intent, he imagined this was what happened to him when he lost control.

"Shalltear." he spoke, it wasn't a command or did he even speak loud, but it was enough to smother her killing intent

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. I seem to have lost control for a moment." Shalltear said, her gaze going to Sebas

"Was it something you said, Sebas?" Alucard asked, looking at the buttler

"I was wondering if given the nature of her task, that maybe having used someone who could control others will would have made things easier."

"A valid point, Sebas. Indeed, it would have been easy…" Shalltear quickly interjected

"But I can turn them into slaves…" Alucard only needed to glare at her, to silence the Guardian

"Indeed, you can. However, I believe that one's forces should be judged by its quality not quantity, you would just end but creating fodder. That is why I chose to only capture and send to interrogation those you actually seemed to make a difference when it came to knowledge."

"Then, if we are ambushed, what do you plan to do, Alucard-sama?" Sebas asked

"The same thing we always did, as them and react according to the answer."

"We seem to be stopping." Sebas pointed out

"Indeed." added Shalltear

"I'll leave this one to you, Shalltear."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

He did not pay attention to the bloodbath that followed, honestly, he was not interested in such things right now they had places to go and if it could be helped, he did not wish to spend more time here than necessary.

* * *

"Thanks for your hard work. As promised, I will spare your life." he heard Shalltear say

"That's enough. I'll deal with him."

The man who was already reduced to a status akin to a dog, felt his heart sink further into despair when he saw a massive figure emerged from the carriage.

"What were you doing to him?" Alucard growled

"I was using him to clean my shoes."

"You are dismissed, Shalltear. The same goes for you two."

The True Vampire's voice went through the man like physical blows, how had things ended up like this, the target was a rich girl and a butler why was he now faced with a group of vampires. He wanted to let himself go, there was nothing else if he died here, would be the greatest of mercies, his wishes didn't seem to have hope of being fulfilled as the larger vampire forced him back to his feet grabbing him by his collar.

"Is there more of you, around here?"

"Yes."

"Is any one of them worth my time?"

"…There is one…His name is Brain Unglaus, he can use martial arts."

"How strong is he?"

"I heard he was undefeated until he fought against Gazef…" Alucard spoke over him

"Seems like you are of worth keeping alive after all. You will be taking us to him." saying this he placed the man over his shoulder

"Shalltear get ready, we're leaving." he then turned to Sebas, who was sitting on the driver's seat

"I guess we will have to split up here. I wish you and Solution a safe trip."

"Likewise, Alucard-sama."


	7. Downfall of Castle and Country

They had arrived at the Land of Karst, Alucard looked over the prairie his attention focused on the entrance to what he assumed to be their hideout, the two wooden barricades and the two guards. He casually dropped the man he was carrying over his shoulder, the man hit the ground with a muffled sound, the vampire leaned down and spoke to him.

"Is that the entrance to your hideout?"

"Yes."

"Is that the only entrance?"

"Yes."

"Are there any more guards on the outside, or traps?"

"There are no more guards. There is one trap by the entrance."

"Thank you." with one swift motion he broke the human's neck

"One of you take position on top of a tree, you will be on the lookout for anyone who tries to escape or any approaching groups. The other, Shalltear and me will go inside, remember there is a trap so pay attention to your surroundings."

"What about the two sentries?" Shalltear asked

Alucard looked at the two men, both had a bell that could be used to signal for enemies, perhaps the stealth approach would be best, but they wanted to bring forth this Brain Unglaus the alarm needed to be raised. The vampire kneeled down and picked up two small rocks, if he was correct these should to for what he had in mind, a simple flick of his arm was enough to send one of them flying like a bullet. It hit one of the sentries in the head, killing him instantly, he then repeated the process for the other, the bodies collapsing on the ground was enough to agitate the bells and sound off the alarm.

"How loud." Shalltear remarked, over the sounds of the sentries inside the cave yelling of their arrival

"Let's go."

The trio quickly closed the distance between them and the cave, with Alucard on the lead they mimicked him as he lunged towards their objective, whatever trap was placed in their way, was not activated.

"You take point. Shalltear will be in the middle and I'll stay behind you two." Alucard said, his gaze falling on the vampire bride

Even if he had purposely stayed on the end of the group, Alucard was in command he simply gave the two others some freedom, which involved letting the bride slaughter the remaining ten men that tried to force them back. These were all small fry easily disposed of by a low level vampire, nothing to raise his interest, stepping over the massacred men they continued inside the hideout. This freedom also allowed Shalltear to try and fill her Blood Pool, but given the weak nature of the enemy she couldn't do it that well.

* * *

"You three seem to be having fun."

Before them appeared a man, he was alone armed with a katana, Alucard could only consider two things when he saw this, either he had a death wish or he considered himself to be that good, perhaps this was their target. Indeed, he seem to have an air of confidence around him, to have come alone, he had to test this human's strength it was the only way to be sure if he was worthwhile.

"Not at all, I think they were too weak. I can't fill my Blood Pool too well." Shalltear remarked

"Are you, Brain Unglaus?" Alucard asked

"That's me." the human replied, with a certain smugness

"You two stand back."

Brain drew his blade, he wasn't certain what made him do it, but there was something behind those words that affected him at a primal level. Having already presented his weapon, he went into a stance, his eyes examining the large hooded figure, the first thing to catch his attention was that he too had a Katana. Brain couldn't say he was worried, but not many had such a weapon and most of those that did were experts in using them, this certainly wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"We are vampires. Are you certain you can stand against us?" Alucard said, he wanted to see how he reacted to knowing that his opponent wasn't human

"A vampire…huh. Its special abilities…high speed regeneration, charm, life drain, spawn vampire minions, resistance against weapons and cold…I think there was more…whatever."

He did not lack confidence that was for sure, must be natural for someone who has only known defeat once and must have been working towards erasing it after that. Alucard placed his hand on the hilt of his weapon and gripped it tightly, he stopped just 16 feet from Brain.

"I will be your opponent. But first, are you sure you can do this alone?"

"We both know that bringing together a bunch of third-rates won't work against you two. I will be enough."

"Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Alucard." the vampire finally drew his Katana

"Brain Unglaus."

"Are you a martial arts user?"

"Depends on who's asking." Brain replied, he wasn't going to simply give away his trump cards

"I was hoping, that if that is the case you refrain from using them at first. Let us warm up a bit before that."

Brain adjusted his footing, this vampire was making an interesting request, could it be that he was not strong enough to deal with martial arts, or did he really intend to test how their strengths matched up.

"Ok. I'll bite." Brain said, with a confident smirk

"Whenever you're ready." the vampire took a stance matching the human's

With a roar, Brain lunged with all the strength in his body and brought his blade down with the strength to cleave an armored man in two. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the cave, his attack had been blocked by the vampire, now they fought for dominance trying to push the other away. Shalltear and her bride were silence, the Guardian did not care what the lesser vampire might by thinking, but she was focused on how the human and the Supreme Being seemed to be matched. For a moment none of them moved, their strength seemingly near equal, that was till Brain managed to gain the upper-hand forcing his opponent away and bringing his blade down just for good measure.

"Not bad." Brain remarked, getting back to his initial stance

He couldn't say he was that surprised, his opponent was a vampire and was someone who seemed to know who he was, so for him to be able to keep up with that swing shouldn't be a reason for concern. However, Brain wasn't sure he could call their raw strength equal, he would give the edge to Alucard, the reason he managed to push him away was because he had managed to place himself in such a manner to do so.

Alucard went on the offensive, charging at Brain for an attempt at a straight jab, his speed was amazing but it wasn't all that impressive for Brain. The Human dodged to the right and brought his blade up, with the intent of hopefully severing the right arm, of course he wasn't surprised when the vampire retracted his arm. What somewhat surprised him was that Alucard followed this by kicking him in the gut, sending him into a wall Brain fell back to the floor gasping for air.

"Come on. That was nothing." Alucard growled, taking a few steps back

He was correct, in no time Brain had recovered his breath and was once more on his feet, they lunged at each other and proceeded to exchange several blows. Before his eyes, Brain saw an opening placing all the strength he could in his arms he directed his attack towards it. Alucard jumped back, his left hand went to his chest as he stopped just in front of Shalltear, who instinctually went to his side.

"Alucard-sama." he calmly motioned her to step back

"You almost grazed me with that. I say that was a good warm up, what about we get serious?"

"I thought you never ask." Brain replied

He sounded confident, but in his heart he was concerned, even if he didn't want to admit it during this "warm up" he had been using almost all his strength, without martial arts. Now that the time had come for them to get serious, he could only see victory if he was able to use everything he had at once to land the decisive blow.

"Prepare yourself human. I want to see everything you can offer."

Alucard was hoping that by saying this, he could convince Brain to go all out, not knowing what this man's all out was could be a problem since he did not know what to look for. Taking into account what he had experienced so far, even without martial arts this man was the strongest he had faced since arriving in this world. He couldn't help but feel excited to see what he could do with martial arts, he also hoped that the strength that he had used so far was enough to force Brain into using martial arts. Even if he had already some experience with this body, Alucard wasn't all that confident in his ability to hold back his power.

Taking a moment to examine the human, he could feel the change in his stance, his look, his breathing and the atmosphere around him. This was definably a warrior ready to go all out, such expression he couldn't help but to look forward to when he would send it crashing down into oblivion.

"Alucard-sama." he header Shalltear whisper near him

"What is it?" he hissed back

"Your eyes…are glowing."

Alucard placed a hand up to his face, from where Shalltear stood she must have seen a red glow coming from under his hood, he started taking deep calming breaths. This was not the time to lose control, it was not his intention to kill this human but if Shalltear had seen fit to warn him, perhaps he would have to speed up the process.

"Are you ready?" Alucard growled, Brain did not reply

"I'm going to assume you are."

The True Vampire, sheathed his Katana while keeping his right hand on the hilt, and began his approach, his prey did not move or show any sign of fear. His vision was keen, at this moment he was more akin to a predator hunting his prey, than a warrior, he could see every little change in Brain's muscles as he too prepared to attack. Unbeknownst to Alucard, he was walking straight into [Field], the human finally attacked with great force and speed, truly this was an attack like no other he had seen since arriving here.

"I…Impossible…" Brain mumbled

His attack, the thing he had trained so hard to achieve met its match in the right palm of the vampire known as Alucard. He tried to pull away, but the monster's grasp on his sword would not give, one thing Brain was sure off the only way to distance himself from Alucard was to give up his weapon.

"That was a good hit. You've passed." the vampire hissed

Brain had no time to reply, the next thing he felt was a hit in the back of the head and then everything went dark as his body collapsed on the ground.

"I'm going to take him back to Nazarik. You two deal with the rest." Alucard said, opening a Gate

"Is there any restrictions to what we can do?" Shalltear asked, with a mischievous smirk

"Make sure, no one escapes."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." the two female vampires bowed, as he left

* * *

"He is so cute, Alucard-sama. Can I keep him?"

That was the first thing Brain heard when he began to regain his consciousness, he tried to move his aching body but found himself unable to do so, something was holding him in place. His eyes moved from the ground to the figures in front of him, one he immediately recognized as Alucard, the other he could only describe as a blob like abomination. His head went to the side, trying to find what was restricting him, he discovered that his arms and legs were strapped to a wall.

"I see you're awake, Brain." Alucard remarked, his voice drawing the human's gaze towards him

"What…Where am I?" he asked

"Welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarik. You have been chosen as the first human to officially serve us." the vampire announced, in a joyous tone

Brain let out a weak laugh, he was beat up, at least his body felt like he had gone through the worst beating in his life, his neck being the part that felt the worst. He tried to pull his restraints, but like he expected they did not move, if this place was made by vampires the restraints should have been made to withstand such strength.

"Serve you? Do tell me what righteous work I will be doing?" Brain asked sarcastically, with a weak laugh

"You still have some fight in you?" Alucard hissed back, tilting his head slightly to the side

"If that is the case, allow me to take care of it, Alucard-sama." Neuronist eagerly suggested

"Then I want you to break 103 of his bones. Start with the right arm."

Brain's eyes widened in horror as Neuronist began to approach him, one of her hands in front of what must have been her mouth, as she tried to muffle her laughs.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Don't do this!" Brain pleaded, completely letting go of whatever pride remained in him

"Neuronist, stop. Do you have a better idea?" the vampire asked

Alucard lifted his right arm so his hand was slightly below his face, he placed his thumb over his index finger and pressured it down causing a cracking sound in response, the sound sending a shiver down Brain's back.

"Yes…I'll listen to what work you have to offer me." Brain replied

"Break every bone in his right hand." were the words he got in reply

"Wait! I said I would listen!" he shouted in desperation

"Then rephrase your reply." the vampire hissed

While they had this little exchange, none of them noticed what Neuronist was doing, having heard the order to break the right hand she quickly went to work, so when Alucard told the human to rephrase his reply she broke one of the bones. The room was filled with Brain's painfilled shouts, he violently shook in his restraints, cursing the fiend loudly, stopping when he felt her touch upon his face.

"You have such good lungs. I…" Alucard interrupted her

"Stop it. That was unnecessary."

"My greatest apologies, Alucard-sama." she said, taking a deep bow

"Step aside and let him speak. Brain you were about to say."

"…I will…do as you say…like a faithful dog…" Alucard smiled at this

"That's better. If you were tasked with guiding someone around the Kingdom, would you be able to do so?"

"…I know my way around it…there should be no problem with that…"

"You see, we have some operatives on their way there, their mission is to gather information. However, they are not familiar with the surroundings, they could use a guide. Interested?"

"Of course…I will do as mi lord…requests it."

"Such dedication. Don't you think Neuronist?"

"Yes. Alucard-sama."

"Then you understand, that I will need to properly test your loyalty currect?" Brain simply nodded

"You may come in." Alucard spoke

Brain lifted his head towards the door, it slowly creaked open revealing another vampire, this one was a true beauty with long light brown hair, wearing a white dress. He wanted to believe that her rather docile appearance reflected her personality, and the nature of whatever her task would be.

"Brain, this is Talia, one of my Brides. She will be the one that will educate you about Nazarik, specially about the hierarchy and those that you will be helping in your first mission. She will also teach you how to behave." Alucard announced, he then turned to the female vampire

"He has a broken bone, heal him."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama. But my I ask you something?" the True vampire nodded

"Isn't using our resources on a human a waste?"

"I agree that a simple broken bone is not worthy that much attention. Still it has to heal properly, I want him at a 100% when we send him out."

"I understand."

"Neuronist you are dismissed. I apologize from pulling away from your work with Lottus."

"No…No, there is no need to direct such words towards me. I am here to serve after all. I appreciate every opportunity to showcase my skills to the Supreme Beings."

"Your eagerness is appreciated. You are dismissed." taking a bow Neuronist left

"Now, Talia I also have to get back, Shalltear must already be waiting for me. Make sure you educate him well." Alucard made his way towards the door, when Talia said something else

"Wouldn't you prefer meet up with Sebas and Solution?" he stopped and looked back at her

"Why do you say that?"

Alucard looked at her, her posture stiffened, the expression on Talia's face was one of dread, he could go as far as calling it fear.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, approaching her

"No…I'm being foolish, but I fear what may happen if you go back."

"What do you mean!? What are you basing these fears on?"

"Intuition, Alucard-sama. I am sorry, to be bothering you with such things, it's only unbecoming of me."

The Supreme Being, was unsure of what to do, she was just one step away from crying, if this was just intuition there should be no reason for such a reaction. Was it because, her fears were about him, something that would happen to him?

"Talia, I appreciate your concern. But there is no need to worry, I have Shalltear with me, together there is nothing on this world we can't take care of…" Talia surprisingly argued back

"What if it isn't from this world!?" her hands quickly went up to her mouth

"I'm so sorry, I raised my voice above Alucard-sama's. To think that a Supreme Being could be bothered by such things, I'm so sorry." she was now on her knees her head hung low, like someone waiting for the finishing blow

Alucard scratched the back of his head, this situation was happening all because of something that she had felt trough intuition, which meant there was no credible base for these concerns. Even so, she raised a good point, it was possible other players had come to this world, they could have the means to be problematic to deal with, but still with Shalltear by his side it was a difficult thing to imagine.

"Get up, Talia." the female vampire, did as she was told yet kept her head low, that was till he used his right hand to move her head to meet his gaze

"There is no need to be concerned, I'll get through it no matter what."

"Please stay. Shalltear can take care of herself."

"I have my orders. I won't go against them without anything other than assumptions."

Talia already had tears in her eyes, holding back the urge to cry after his cold and mechanical reply, she once more fell on her knees watching on as he left and closed the door behind him. How idiotic of her, to give such importance to her fears, even so why did she find no comfort in his words, he wouldn't lie to her, he had no reason to do so.

* * *

Alucard returned to the same spot on the cave he had left from, he didn't want to admit it but his mind was shaken after his conversation with Talia, but now wasn't the time to worry about such things. The smell of blood was overwhelming, he had told Shalltear to deal with the others, it seemed like she went overboard again, thinking of where he should go his instincts told him to go outside. Emerging on the outside of the cave, he saw the two vampire brides moving towards him, carrying a woman with them.

"Where is Shalltear?" he asked, ignoring the human

"She went to investigate something in the forest." one of them replied

"She seemed to be in a worry."

Alucard couldn't help but let his heartrate increase, Talia's words, the fact Shalltear had rushed into the forest for some reason, he was starting to feel anxious but why? There was no reason to react like this, after all there was no reason to react like this, he gritted his teeth and placed his right hand over the hilt of his katana.

"In which direction did she go?" both brides pointed in the same direction

He lunged forward, he did his best to control the growing anxiety, part of himself cursed Talia for sharing her concerns with him, another part directed it's insults at him for being moved by her words. Alucard quickly approached a clearing, even from the distance he could see Shalltear, she was charging at a woman wearing a white dress, when he got closer the dress became more visible.

Alucard knew the restrictions a warrior had, even knowing some magic he had taken the time to learn everything he could even if he couldn't use it, so when he finally saw cheongsam with the image of a dragon on it, his heart sank. His speed doubled, something that one would think to be impossible, he drew his sword and in his mind there was only him, Shalltear and that dress. He rushed towards Shalltear, his free hand reached into his inventory and brought out his music voice, Alucard followed this by creating a Gate to the Guardian's side, finally arriving near her he said only one thing.

"Retreat!" placing the box in her hands he pushed her into the gate before closing it

The moment he slowed down, his mind went black, the vampire turned his head towards the old woman to find himself in her way, his lips curled into a grin knowing that his guess wasn't wrong on what the dress could do. His feet dragged on the floor so he was now facing her, even if his thoughts were starting to slow down, he knew that he had to send her back to Nazarik. Alucard charged at the old woman, with each step he took his grip on his mind would reduce and his speed slow, he waved with his free hand opening a Gate behind her and threw himself towards the woman. The effect of the artifact grew stronger as he got closer, so he had lost almost all hope of being able to see his plan through, that was the reason he simply threw himself at her, if he couldn't attack he would simply push her in.

When he got close enough a man got in the way, Alucard used the last of his mental capacity to push her in with his left hand, not holding back on his strength the simple blow was enough to cut through the one trying to protect the elder and the woman, sending both of them through the portal before it collapsed.

* * *

Shalltear woke up, only a few shy rays of sunlight broke through the sky, sitting up her right hand went to her forehead, a massive headache had taken hold of her so bad she could barely keep her eyes open. Her gaze dropped to the object resting in her other hand, even if she was in a dazed state what it was, was obvious, Alucard's music box. Some of what happened was still in her mind, especially when she was pushed into the portal, for a Guardian to be forced out of a fight leaving a Supreme Being behind, this was rock bottom.

"S-Shalltear." Some called to her in a shy tone

The True Vampire turned her head, in the direction of the voice, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw where Alucard had sent her, to the entrance to Nazarik. The one calling out to her was Mare, Shalltear tried to get back up but her legs gave way under her weight and she found herself on her knees, before the young elf.

"Y-You mustn't get up. You don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine…I just need to…" once more her attempts to get back to her feet failed

"W-What happened? Who are they?" Mare asked looking towards something behind Shalltear

The female vampire, looked at whatever had caught Mare's attention, on the ground there were two bodies both of them had holes punched through their heads, one of them she recognized immediately, it was the old woman who had tried to control her mind.

"Get someone…to take her…dress dangerous…" was all she managed to say

"I-I'll get some servants to take her in. B-But we need to h-help you."

"No…help…Alucard-sama…warn…Ainz-sama…"

Shalltear, tightened her grip on the music box, she mustered all the strength she had left directing it to her legs, the strongest Guardian stood tall once more, a slight grin came over her as she took a step forward. Unfortunately such action was yet out of her reach, when her foot came down so did she, collapsing and once more falling into unconsciousness.


	8. Aftermath

Shalltear woke up this time on one of the couches in Ainz's suite, she sat up still in a dazed state for a moment the vampire was unable to understand where she was. When she finally understood, heat rushed to her face and panicking she placed both hands to her face, hitting herself with something. Shacking off the hit she looked at her left hand, in there was the music box, seeing that the location had changed how was it still in her hand? Surely someone would have tried to take it, or in her sleep they thought best not to disturb her, her thoughts came to an end when she heard two voices approaching the chamber.

"Ainz-sama, those two people, aren't they dangerous? Without knowing the situation, to resurrect them…" it was obviously Albedo

"Don't worry, they have been stripped of their equipment and placed under surveillance, they won't make a move without us knowing it."

"What about the other, woman? The one you brought in."

"Same, but given her nature as a criminal I don't expect anyone to be looking for her, at least in order to help her."

The door opened, Ainz was the first to walk inside shortly followed by Albedo, Shalltear quickly got up from the couch and went to meet them, ignoring the hostile look from Albedo, she kneeled before Ainz with her head lowered.

"Ainz-sama, I…" the vampire tried to speak, however his voice overwhelmed hers

"How are you feeling, Shalltear? Mare, told me that you were in bad shape, when you arrived."

"I am unworthy of your concern! I have failed as a Guardian…" he raised his hand to silence her

"Albedo called me, shortly after Mare found you, her concerns came more from the fact that we were unable to contact Alucard-san." Ainz paused and began to move deeper into his room, going for his desk

"The bodies that were with you, we've already resurrected them and are currently being interrogated, I fear it may take some time but we will know who they are…" he took his seat

Albedo took his right side, while Shalltear continued in the same position, kneeling before her superior waiting for her punishment. His tone was strange, he showed no anger, no disappointment, at the moment she couldn't sense any trace of emotion in his voice, he was simply correlating the facts as they were.

"The item you brought me…I've analyzed it and it is what I feared it would be. Downfall of Castle and Country…But before we get to that, tell me what happened."

Shalltear proceeded to explain, with as much detail as she could, what happened during the night. All the while, she could sense Albedo's eyes piercing through her, but this was not an issue Shalltear could care less what she thought, it was the lack of reaction from Ainz that worried her.

"I see." was all the Supreme Being muttered

"So, you abandoned one of the last Supreme Beings, leaving him to fend for himself." Albedo interjected

"Albedo! Now is not the time." Ainz remarked

"My apologies, Ainz-sama."

"The situation is a you say, Shalltear what both of you experienced was mind-control, that is the power of the World Class Item Downfall of Castle and Country. You were lucky, from what I understood your exposure to its effects was minimal, which should explain the state you were in when you arrived. In Alucard-sans case, I am not sure, considering the fact that he has yet to contact us, we may need to consider the worst scenario." the air in the room became even heavier, than what it already was

"The woman that was with you, and the man, must have been sent by him in a last attempt to get rid of the threat. With this act the item is now in our possession, which may mean that the process was not complete and he may not be fully under its control…" Ainz paused, and his eyes flared

"Alucard-san, may possibly be in limbo, not free but not truly bound…We must go there to see for ourselves."

"Ainz-sama, I understand the importance of Alucard-sama, but isn't it too dangerous to go now, without knowing what his current condition is or if the enemy is still there?" Albedo argued

"I was hopping Shalltear, could help me with that."

"I will do anything in my power, to repent the sin that I have committed."

"If I were to use Mirror of Remote Viewing, could you find his location?"

Shalltear felt her heart sink, she couldn't, during the trip to the point where they separated from Sebas and Solution she had not paid attention to the path, not even when she and Alucard went to the hideout. How could she have made such a mistake, the answer was obvious, Alucard was there and if she wanted to keep track how could she, he could easily do those things, she would only hinder him.

"I…I cannot…"

"No matter, I already had planned things without taking that information into account…" at that moment someone knocked at the door

"Enter."

The door opened just slightly, Nyx and Touka entered the room, they closed the door, bowed, and then went to stand just a step behind the vampire Guardian.

"Where is, Talia?" Ainz asked

Touka and Nyx exchanged uneasy looks, Ainz could tell right away that something had happened that from their point of view would displease him.

"Talia, she…Is still in the Frozen Prison." Touka replied

"Why did she ignore, Ainz-sama's orders?" Albedo growled

"I'm not sure, but something happened between her and Alucard-sama. I don't know what was said, but she hasn't stopped working since. When I informed her of your orders, she said that she had yet to fulfill Alucard-sama's, even when we informed her that he couldn't be contacted, she did not move."

"I'm going down there myself. You two will go back with me and Albedo, make sure she understands that this situation might get a lot worse before it gets better. Tell her, that her priority now is to assist in Alucard-san's rescue."

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

"Now, let's get moving." Ainz got up from his chair, his gaze fell on Shalltear

"Shalltear, that music box…" he muttered, hearing his voice both Bride's focused their attention of her

Shalltear could only see them dimly from her kneeling positon, she knew that she was stronger than them, even if it was the three Brides against her there would be no chance for them to win. The gazes she felt, transmitted a completely different story, fear almost moved her heart, in their gazes wasn't outright anger or rage, but something she couldn't completely comprehend.

"Go back to your room and prepare yourself. The time will come for you to atone for what you have done wrong." these were Ainz's final words before the room emptied

* * *

Going to the Frozen Prison, Ainz and Albedo went to see Nigredo, while Touka and Nyx went to see Talia. Talia was still in the same room with Brain, she sat on a wooden chair with a small desk near her, on it were several papers, the human was still strapped to the wall his head now forcefully moved in a way the he could look at the papers that the vampire would show him.

"Talia." Touka said, lightly knocking at the already opened door

"Yes, sister?" the older sister asked, not moving at all from her current position

"Ainz-sama, has once more called for us, he needs you to drop this and…" Talia quickly interrupted

"My apologies, but…but…I have to correct the way I spoke to Alucard-sama. I have to properly educate this human, if I do that certainly he will be pleased."

"Talia, Ainz-sama wants us to help Alucard-sama. Did you not hear, when I told you that we have lost contact with him?" Touka asked, she sounded desperate to get her sister to react

Talia moved, she turned in her seat and was now facing her sisters, from the front the unkempt hair and bloodshot eyes became visible, these were all signs of how devoted she was being to this work, how desperate she truly was.

"Alucard-sama? What happened to Alucard-sama?" Talia got up, she was wobbly on her legs

"Ainz-sama filled us in on the situation, it seems he was attacked with a World Item, with the power of mind control…" Talia quickly interrupted

"But…what about Shalltear!? Where was she during all of this?" the composure that had once filled the vampire's, eyes were gone, now pure desperation filled them

"She…she was the one to first have contact with the item…Alucard-sama saved her and remained behind."

Talia broke down into tears, how honorable, indeed this was the Alucard she knew, not matter how bad things got he would look over his subordinates the best he could, even if it meant sacrificing himself. That was the Supreme Being she worshiped, to know such thing filled her heart with the greatest of joys.

"It was my fault…" she said, the other two vampires looked at her with shocked expressions

"W-What do you mean?" Nyx asked

"I had a bad feeling about this. My heart told me that something was going to happen! I told him, I told him, I even raised my voice, I went as far as risking the worst of punishments. But he didn't listen, like I had expected, he is a man of his word, how could I have ever hoped for any other result…My words, my words, they were the ones that did this, there should be no way that Alucard-sama would be taken out so easily. I weakened him…"

Talia stopped her rant when something hit her and she fell to the ground, Nyx had thrown herself at her, face bathed in tears, the youngest of the Brides mumbled something between sobs.

"No! Alucard-sama will return, I'm sure of it. But he needs all of us to be there to help him! Onee-chan, he needs you, you cannot give up now, when he needs us the most."

"What the kid said. Come on I'll help you up."

Touka reached out with her left hand, grabbing on to it both Talia and Nyx were pulled back to their feet, with some difficulty, Talia began to clean her tears when Touka decided to pinch her cheeks.

"You raised your voice towards Alucard-sama!? Are you an idiot!?"

"Y-Yes."

"Idiot, Onee-chan." added Nyx

It took a few moments for Talia to compose herself, she straightened her dress, passed both hands through her hair making it look good as new, the only thing that was still visible were her swollen eyes.

"Then, what is it that we must do?" she asked, fully back to her normal self

"Ainz-sama, has yet to tell us. But I think we should at least prepare our things, for when the time comes."

"You spoke of mind control, you think we will have to fight with…" Talia stopped, the words were just too difficult to say

"Alucard-sama?" Touka asked, in a surprisingly calm tone

"Yes."

"No! I don't want to fight with, Alucard-sama." Nyx protested

"Neither do I really." Touka frowned, crossing her arms

"Indeed."

Silence fell, for a while none of them said a word, the thought was just too painful imagining having to fight against their master, had never crossed their minds. It would be a fight that they knew only one side would come out alive from, if they were to die by his hand, that was also a great joy to them, falling by the hand of not only their master but also the best opponent they could ever ask for.

"On a lighter note, what about him?" Touka, looked at Brain who was now half-asleep from having spent most of the night in that position

"He is a smart one, knows where his best chances of survival are."

"How are you certain, that he won't betray us?" the older vampire's face turned into a charming smile, that let out a sadistic aura

"I have showed him all the things he can experience, in that situation. I've also taken the liberty of letting him feel first hand some of them."

"That will do it."

"Why don't you properly introduce yourself to them?" their gazes, now truly went to the human

"…I…" they only heard undiscernible mumbles

"Please repeat. I don't want Alucard-sama to be displeased with my work."

"It is an honor to meet you. I am Brain Unglaus. How may I be of service?"

"Very good. Now I need to heal him and let him rest till we can send him to Sebas-sama." Talia informed

"Then let's find someone to do that for you. Right now, we have bigger things to worry about."

* * *

Shalltear had taken the liberty given to hear by Ainz to go to her room and take a shower, normally she would be surrounded by her vampire brides, today she was alone. Shalltear cursed herself for being unable to scrub away the feeling that covered her skin, the dirt placed on her by those that attacked her mind, the shame of being unable to do anything against it and the fact that she had completely failed at her duties. In her mind, she remembered what Alucard had told her before they left Nazarik "I'll be counting on you, Shalltear.", after all this time she had nothing to show for it.

Even if Alucard said that she was improving, learning how to do things, she now couldn't help but question herself and her abilities, if that was the case she should have been able to prevent this from happening. The strongest of the Guardian stumbled out of shower, placed a towel around her body and dragged her broken self to her bedroom, on top of one of the nightstands rested the music box. Now she was wondering if she could open it, the memory of the stares that Touka and Nyx had given her made her skin crawl, but surely Alucard wouldn't mind her listening to just one, after all she has done one more sin won't make much of a difference.

Sitting on her bed, her unsure hands went to the object, carefully she placed it on her lap and opened it, maybe it was because of her current condition but she had to put some pressure on it, so that it would open. Right away she heard noise come from it, that sound of a song ending probably because Alucard hadn't properly turned it off the last time he used it, then followed a brief moment of silence before the next song started.

 **Bleach - Nothing can be explained**

For the duration of the song, Shalltear sat in her bed with her head lowered, the vampire brides that would normally be waiting for her arrival were now outside the room. From what Ainz had said, she should be called upon when the time came to deal with Alucard's situation, what would happen then she was unsure of.

"Shalltear-sama, is there something we can help with?" one of her brides asked, daring to enter the room

"…Fetch me my clothes." a joyful expression came over the bride

"Right away, Shalltear-sama."

* * *

Now fully clothed, Shalltear went to Alucard's room, carefully she opened the door and walked inside, looking to her right she saw that the door that lead to the closet, was open. From inside she could hear someone moving things around, Shalltear took careful steps towards the closet when she heard the sound of something cracking, it was a similar sound to when from time to time Alucard would crack his fingers. Such similarity was enough to make her eyes rush to the source of the sound, it was the bed, of course she didn't expect Alucard to be standing there but who it was surprised her, sitting on the edge of the bed was Nyx.

"Nyx…" she mumbled

She felt it again, the same gaze she had received when the Brides noticed that she was carrying Alucard's music box, her gaze went down to her hands where the object still rested. This time, the uneasy feeling did not waver, perhaps because Ainz wasn't around, for some reason the fact that a child was giving her this look only made it worse.

"Shalltear-sama." the young vampire said

"Why are you here?" Nyx's voice, had an ominous monotone to it

"Well…I wanted to…" she was interrupted

"Hey, Nyx. I found your armor, come get ready."

Shalltear looked towards the door to the closet, Touka was standing there in her black armor, her eyes then went back to the child whose expression had changed completely now matching her appearance.

"Alright." Nyx said, running inside

"Is something wrong? You seem to have seen a ghost." the Bride chuckled

"She seems to crack her fingers, like Alucard-sama. I was surprised." Shalltear replied, trying to look as calm as possible

"Yeah, that. If I remember correctly when he created us, Alucard-sama was going through a "phase", those were his words if I remember correctly. I think my name is also related to that…"

"Either way, why are you here?" Touka asked, her expression turning more serious

"I was going to leave this here." Shalltear replied, looking down at the music box

"Bring it along." these words surprised the Guardian

"If Alucard-sama, gave it to you he must have a reason. Now if you excuse me, I have to make sure Nyx is putting on her armor properly."

For a couple of minutes Shalltear remained there, staring blankly at Alucard's bed the thing she wanted to see for so long, but now felt nothing but disgust for having seen it. The vampire was awoken from her trance when someone else walked into the room, turning around she was met with Albedo and Mare.

"I see you are already here, Shalltear. It only makes my job that much easier, not having to bother to go look for you." Albedo remarked, with a smile

"Although, I am curious to know why you are here? And who allowed you to enter this room." Albedo now sounded much more hostile

"I did, Albedo-sama." Talia announced, emerging from the closet accompanied by the other Brides

"Is that so…" the Overseer mumbled

"Alucard-sama gave us authorization to use this room as if it was our own, so there is no problem with her being here."

"Let's get going then. We have already received our marching orders."


	9. Nazarik vs The Warrior Alucard

The three Brides stood on top of the trees overlooking a path that went through the forest, Touka and Talia were on one side and Nyx was on the other, they rested on the branches while waiting for their target. Even with the calmness of the situation, they felt uneasy, they had no idea where Mare was, Albedo was hiding somewhere on the ground probably behind a tree, this lack of caution was unnerving them. The only one that wasn't worrying them was Shalltear, she was sitting on a tree next to Nyx, at first this was surprising to them but taking into account that she did spend some time with Alucard, she must have picked this up from him.

[We should have come alone.] Touka remarked

This way of communication was similar to Message, it was limited to the Brides, as it worked for those who wore small hear pieces created by Alucard just for himself and his unit.

[You sound worried, Touka.] Talia said

[Seeing Albedo hiding behind trees like an idiot is unnerving.]

[There is no need to worry. We are expecting small fry, but I understand what you say, it goes against everything Alucard-sama thought us.]

[Someone's approaching.] Nyx informed

The Brides attention went to the path, a group was making its way towards them, immediately they recognized the two people leading them, it was Ainz and Narberal, with them was some kind of large animal and behind them a group of humans.

[How should we proceed?] Touka asked

[Let's see what Ainz-sama decided upon. But if we don't get any orders against it, the humans won't get pass the front, so I will take their left side, Touka will take the right and Nyx will take the back.]

[Got it.] Touka replied

[Understood.] Nyx replied

"Hey! You fellows hiding over there. Come out slowly!" one of the humans shouted in the direction of the tree Albedo was hiding behind

Touka facepalmed, what a failure, it wasn't her place to question their ruler's decisions but why would anyone bring her along when she had no skills when it came to stealth. When Albedo revealed her presence to the humans, it only further stunned Touka, even if there was no danger why would someone do that? She could have tried to sneak away, or get the human to approach and take him out right there.

[Touka, calm yourself.] Talia said

What followed was Ainz, showing these humans that having decided to follow him would turn out to be the greatest and last mistake they would ever make.

"So then… Albedo, Brides, get rid of them. Only capture one man...no, catch one more to act

as backup. Interference has already been activated, so you can rest assured that there

will be no use of magic communication."

Even if they continued to listen to Ainz's words, they had their orders, leave but two of them alive, it was child's play to them. The vampires emerged from the trees landing around the group, the men turned around panicking, not only were they before this Albedo but now three others had appeared completely surrounding them.

The Brides had small rectangles in their hands, they were made from pure silver a very dangerous thing for a vampire to have around, with one simple motion a long blade emerged from the rectangles, now they looked like sabers. Had it been only Albedo, perhaps one could have escaped the slaughter, but faced with these numbers there was no chances of escaping. Ainz had expected some drama from this, perhaps someone would run away and had to be chased, he was not expecting the efficiency of Alucard's creations. While Albedo killed but one man, they killed the rest then knocked out the two that were to be taken back.

"Good work all of you. Mare, Shalltear." Ainz spoke, prompting the elf to emerge from behind a tree and Shalltear to jump down to their side

"Mare, if you will, take them back to Nazarik."

"U-Understood, Alucard-sama." he said, with a bow

"Ainz-sama what…what is that thing clutching onto the hem of your cloak?" Albedo asked looking at Hamsuke

"This is Hamsuke. It is sort of like my pet."

"What! This thing managed to obtain the most coveted position of Nazarick?!"

"...Huh? ...Ah, Hamsuke. This person is my loyal Albedo, in charge of managing my residence, the Great Tomb of Nazarick. She is also your superior. Do greet her."

"Just as master said, this humble servant is Hamsuke. Please take care of me from now on, Albedo-sama."

"...Pleased to meet you too, Hamsuke."

Talia watched on as they made what in her opinion was small talk, her head was clear and her body was primed, but in the back of her head she just wanted to tell them to move along and that this was not the time to be discussing such things.

[Thing looks like a giant hamster.] Touka laughed

[I think it's cute.] Nyx said

[Whatever it is, it's wasting our time.] Talia growled

[Ainz-sama, could order us to patrol the area, that would be fun.] Touka said

"Brides." his words, caugh their attention

"Yes, Ainz-sama!?" they asked, kneeling

"…Go on ahead and scout the surrounding area for enemies. If you find any, retreat and inform the others."

They nodded, before jumping into the tree tops and vanishing, leaving Ainz alone with Albedo and Shalltear.

"W-What shall I do, Ainz-sama?" the vampire asked

"Follow us."

"As you wish."

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the vast clearing, almost in the middle of it was the reason that they were here, the second remaining member of Ainz Ooal Gown, Alucard. Ainz took several heavy steps towards him, he was unsure of what he could do or what he should do, even if the hood obstructed his comrades eyes he feared that they were lifeless.

"Let's stop here."

He didn't want to risk getting any closer, if indeed the mind control had not fully taken a hold of him one could not determine what would happen once they got close. With luck, nothing would happen and they could even transport him back to Nazarik, or he could attack at the smallest sign of provocation.

"Alucard-san."

No response came, he couldn't say he was surprised, what he was going to do next would depend on the information the Brides brought back, if enemies were still in the area he couldn't risk losing anyone else. Shortly after the vampires returned, they kneeled to his left and waited to receive the order to speak.

"Report."

"We have scanned the area, there are no signs of enemy combatants, not even in hiding." Talia informed

That was good, he now had some time to decide if the plan he had come up with would be the one he would use. World Items were a precious thing, that were used to guard Nazarik, the idea of having to mobilize them was not that appealing, indeed he wanted to help Alucard, but he also did not want to risk weakening Nazarik's defenses at a time like this. His final decision was a harsh one, however he couldn't think of any other way, Ainz turned towards Shalltear.

"Shalltear, I have something to ask of you." his tone was somber

"Yes, Alucard-sama? I will do anything you ask of me."

"Wear down, Alucard-san." Shalltear froze in place, her grip on the music box tightened

"If I am correct, he will only react if threatened. I need you to wear him down, till I return."

"Ainz-sama, may I ask something?" Talia spoke

Ainz didn't want this, he did not want to explain to Alucard's creations that in order to free Alucard from the effects of the item he was pretty much planning to kill him and was going to use Shalltear as a means of making it easier for him to deliver the killing blow.

"You may."

"Is the plan to kill Alucard-sama?"

"It is." he could see the vampires bodies become tense

"T-Then allow us too, to wear him down."

"Absolutely not. Had things been different I would be fighting him by myself. But since Shalltear wants to correct her mistakes, I feel that this is the most appropriate way for her to do so."

"You can count on me, Ainz-sama. I, Shalltear Bloodfallen, will give my life for the greater good of…" Ainz spoke over here

"You fool! What do you think you are saying!?" he roared in anger, just to have his emotions quickly suppressed

"Is everything all right, Ainz-sama?" Albedo asked

"Shalltear, I don't want you to fight him to the death, I simply wish for you to wear him down. Alucard-san is not an opponent that you must face to the death, if you are to make any progress you must fight him with the intention to live on. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Ainz-sama." Shalltear replied, his words having touched her heart

"Brides, continue surveilling the area. I and Albedo will return to Nazarik. Do not worry, I will send some forces to help secure the area and I plan to return as soon as I am able." Ainz turned towards Albedo, but stopped mid motion and looked back at the Brides

"No matter what he may say, at this moment Alucard-san is to be treated like an enemy."

"As you wish." they said

He and Albedo left shortly after, leaving the female vampires alone before Alucard, Shalltear looked down at the music box and opened it, this time no music came out since it wasn't turned on.

"Shalltear-sama, it would be best if you went all out from the very start." Talia suggested

"I know." she replied, in a monotone

"Then we will be on our way."

Shalltear now stood alone in the face of her soon to be opponent, a crimson aura began to emerge from her body, she placed the music box on the floor and let herself be swallowed by it. When the aura dispersed into small particles, before becoming nothing, she was now wearing armor, from it flapped two angle like wings and in her right hand rested the Divine Item, Spuit Lance. Placing her weapon aside for a moment she picked up the music box and placed it in Random, so that it would play without her having to go and search for the next song, after a moment of silence it began.

 **Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Envy Revealed**

Taking a deep breath, she lunged at her target, this was nothing close of madness Shalltear had no hopes of possibly being able to defeat Alucard in close quarters combat, however if she was to remain at a long range she feared her attacks would fail given his speed. Stretching out her right arm she readied her lance, getting close enough to her target she brought it down with no signs of restraint.

A massive dust cloud erupted into the sky, Shalltear quickly jumped back not wanting to be caught in the middle, her feet touched the ground and she felt herself bumping into something. Her heart skipped a beat, there was no mistake about what was behind her, making a 180 degree turn she once more failed to hit him with her lance.

"Sloppy, are we?" Alucard hissed, now standing several feet in front of her

"To think that I would have to kill you, Shalltear." he mused, his hand reaching into his inventory

"W-Why kill me?" Shalltear asked, of course if the mind control wasn't a factor having attacked a Supreme Being would be the answer

"Why?..." Alucard froze

That was a good question, why was he considering killing over this, her attacks were childlike at best with not killing intent behind him. There should be no reason for him to want to reply in such a violent manner, his mind went blank then new thoughts formed in the place of his doubts. I have to defend myself, Shalltear is the strongest Guardian if she attacked, perhaps she was at first testing my strength, taking her power into account not going all out would be a fatal mistake.

"You attacked me, Shalltear. That is reason enough." he replied, taking out a small figurine from his inventory

 **Bleach - B07A**

"What an appropriate choice of music." Alucard chuckled, a grin coming over his face as he crushed the item in his hand

Suddenly he was engulfed by a blinding light, it was so bright that Shalltear was forced to cover her eyes something that could prove deadly in her current situation. Luckily the glow died down just a second later, her attention went back to her opponent and her eyes widened with surprise, Alucard now stood before her in his Blood Armor.

In truth, the item that Alucard had used, allowed one to change their current step up during battle, having used it Alucard replaced his armor that was design for stealth with one more suited for combat, something he would need against Shalltear.

"Now Shalltear…" the Supreme Being paused, as if trying to remember something

"Do not allow yourself to be shaken. Do not weaken your stance. Open your senses. And do not let your guard down for an instant."

Alucard lunged at her, Shalltear had always been proud of her speed but now she feared it, the being that lunged towards her had easily matched her top speed and had already drawn his blade. Instinctually, she placed her lance in the way, using it to block a downwards slash from Alucard, however this strategy left her left side unprotected an opening that the male vampire quickly tried to exploit.

"Fireball."

 **Hunter x Hunter 2011 - Gyakujuuji no Otoko**

The projectile emerged from her left hand, this was a desperate attempt to gain some distance from him, it worked as Alucard jumped back avoiding the blast. Shalltear shook her head, she had to calm down, Ainz was counting on her to do this she could not let her fears and insecurities weigh her down.

"This thing is heavy…Restricts my movements…"

Shalltear managed to hear him mumble this, ignoring the fact that even with this restriction he was still able to achieve such speed, she knew that this would work in her favor since he was limited. Once more she charged at him, this time going in for a straight jab with her lance, Alucard did not move he simply sheathed his blade took his stance and waited. Ignoring the strange reaction she augmented her speed, when the tip of the lance was just a few feet from Alucard he finally reacted. Ducking, under the incoming lance, and quickly drew his blade, Shalltear flapped her wings in reply trying to distance herself from him. With one large push the Guardian managed to get away from the blade, saving herself from any serious damage, yet it did not save her armor from getting a scratch made across the chest.

Alucard sheathed his katana once more and looked up at Shalltear who was floating above him, he could not help but feel proud of her. That lance was in no way optimal for nimble movement but she was doing a pretty good job using it to attack and defend against him. Not only that but she also seemed to have good control over her armor, being able to use her wings as soon as his blade get too close. Surely this was great talent if he had ever seen it, something that could become truly terrifying if it was nourished, then why did she attack him, why did he feel the overwhelming urge to kill her?

"Are you not going to come back down, Shalltear?"

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. But I feel safer up here."

"Is that so?"

 **Bleach - Treachery**

"Do you know the name of my armor?" Alucard asked

He looked up at Shalltear, and at that moment their eyes meet, the female vampire couldn't help but feel a chill going down her spine when she saw the weak glow decorating them.

"Blood Armor."

"Also, known as Flesh Armor. This is one of many armors, based upon creatures, they allow the user to display certain of the characteristics of that creature." a large grin came over him

The armor began to make cracking noises and wet squishy sounds as if flesh being torn apart, blood erupted from the back as the wings that were depicted on the back burst forward. Two imposing wings now flapped weakly from the armor, that wasn't the end of it, the image of the dragon's head began to move up from the chest towards the head. It was a fleshy crystal like mass, that wrapped itself around Alucard's head, a helmet formed around it, two horns emerged from the top, the front was now the beast's jaws and the eyes were covered by red lenses.

"Let's continue, shall we?"

With a powerful flap of his wings Alucard charged at Shalltear, the female vampire prepared herself for impact and used Greater Teleportation, she appeared right on top of Alucard and brought her lance down on him. The Supreme Being placed his katana in front of him, placing his left hand on the tip of the blade using it take the blow, he felt like he was at a disadvantage here. Most likely Shalltear had more experience fighting in the air and using her wings than he, now that he was in this body, Alucard soon found himself being pushed back towards the ground. Of course, he wasn't finished, looking up at the female vampire he unleashed a stream of blue flames from his helmets jaws, Shalltear had no time to react taking the hit head on.

Alucard flew backwards waiting for Shalltear to make her next move, the female vampire appeared behind him most likely after having used Greater Teleportation again. Alucard easily moved to the left avoiding her attack, taking a moment to analyze the damage his flames had done to her he could see her armor covered in scorch marks but her face was intact.

"I see you managed to put up some kind of defense at the last moment. Not bad."

"You humble me with your words, Alucard-sama."

 **Hunter x Hunter 2011- Ansatsu Ikka no Yakata**

"Shi. Cyclone!" Alucard said

"Force Sanctuary."

A barrier of holy light surrounded Shalltear, although she could not attack it would completely block her opponent's attacks. She could only hope it would hold out against this attack, to be honest Shalltear had no idea of what Alucard's techniques were, she knew he was very proficient with a sword and had heard of some of the blades abilities, however she lacked any true knowledge on them.

"Are you going to try ant attack me?" the question made her heart skip a beat

"Your attack was what started all of this. And now you can't even land a blow on me… How disappointing, what would Peroroncino think? That perverted bastard, truly was useless, he was always saying "H games this…" and "H games that…", in the end even after he left he continues to only hinder Nazarik. The so called strongest Guardian, what a joke."

Shalltear gritted her teeth, her eyes began to flare with new found anger, insults against her she could take all day, but someone bad mouthing her creator she wouldn't allow. The barrier shattered out of her own free will, ignoring how wasteful it was to destroy it, Shalltear charged, her right arm stretched to the side. Alucard simply took his stance and waited, he normally wasn't one to throw out insults but her lack of commitment to their battle was getting on his nerves, seeing that his tactic had worked pleased him greatly.

Alucard moved when Shalltear got close enough to him, he attempted to stab her with his blade, however she turned clockwise hitting his right side with her lance, the strength behind the attack was enough to send him flying. Shalltear wasn't done, she teleported in front of him and brought her weapon down on the Supreme Being sending him crashing into the ground, she followed this by flying downwards at full force with the intention of impaling him through the back.

"Not good enough!" her opponent proclaimed, turning into his Mist Form

Shalltear was caught off guard, her lance went through the ground to the point she couldn't easily remove it, which meant she was open to attack. Alucard went back to his physical form and attacked, Shalltear tried to use Force Sanctuary but it was too late.

"Shi. Trick Spear!" the female vampire let out a painfilled hiss as she felt something go through her right shoulder

"Shi. Vertical Slash!"

From the Guardian's point of view it was as if time had stopped, one moment her right arm was attached to her body, the other it was gone and her body collapsed on the ground from the sudden shock.

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - Restriction and Pledge**

"That became unavoidable when you decided to hold back." Alucard said, at the moment he truly sounded like a mentor

"I understand that fighting your superior is always a frightening thing, I've been there myself so I can imagine what you must feel. However, if you are the one initiating things, you better come at me with a 100%, or you will get burned, Shalltear Bloodfallen."

The female vampire staggered back to her knees, she rammed her fist into the ground using her arm as a crutch to lift herself back up, she was going to die there was no doubt about it. Looking at the bloodthirsty eyes of the Supreme Vampire, she wondered if he knew of his current condition, since his voice in no way matched the look he was giving her. Perhaps she could use some attack and distance herself from him, but as she was now stood there with no arm, the sudden realization came to her not only was her body damage but also her morale. The fact that he stood at a level comparable to a god, the fact that her mind had already been shaken by what had happened so far, and the fact she saw herself as guilty for what had happened to Alucard, made her truly unfit to handle this situation.

Shalltear let out a weak laugh as these thoughts flooded her mind, the executioners blade shined under the sunlight, and the glow coming from behind the lenses intensified she let go of her will to live. How pitiful of her to have fallen so far from grace, perhaps it was for the best to be killed here by the hands of the man she failed to protect.

"Any last words?" Alucard asked, stopping in front of her and raising his blade

"I offer you my greatest apologies, for failing to fulfill my role as a Guardian and protect you, Alucard-sama."

Alucard felt his heart waver, what was he doing, why was she on her knees and he ready to end her life this was not what he wanted to do. Again his mind went blank and new feelings emerged, she has to learn her lesson for attacking me and not taking me seriously. The vampire stopped these thoughts when he sensed someone approaching them at high speeds, Alucard jumped back just in time to avoid whatever had crashed in-between him and Shalltear.

When the small cloud of dust settled, Touka and Talia stood in his way, Alucard couldn't help but let out an annoyed his, why was everyone deciding to act erratically first Shalltear attacked him and now they stopped him from killing her.

"We ask you to stand down, Alucard-sama. Or we will have to use force." Talia announced, the glow in his eyes flared

"You dare…"

[Do it.] Talia ordered

Alucard didn't get to finish his sentence, someone fell on his shoulders from the weight and those present he took it to be Nyx, the young vampire held in her hands a silver dagger which she proceeded to bring down and ram into his right eye before removing it and jumping to her sister's side.

"My greatest apologies, Alucard-sama." she said with a bow

He was beyond livid, his left hand went to his helmet touching the damaged lens, his good eye went to the dagger Nyx still had in her hand, it was one that he had given them, it could detach the blade at three points. Seeing that it was missing the tip, and the blade was made of silver, he could only conclude they wanted to blind him and stop his regeneration, since silver was one of his weakness.

 **Bleach – Number one**

"Shalltear-sama stand back, we will handle this." Talia announced, drawing her saber

"What!? What will you three do that I couldn't!?"

"Our minds are not clouded, by our mistakes."

"And can you be quiet, I love this song." Touka growled back

[Touka use your speed and attack the legs, try to reduce Alucard-sama's speed. Nyx you will focus on the upper body. Remember to first weaken the armor, attack the joints since those are the weakest part of it outside the lenses. When the joint is sufficiently weakened, use the daggers, and leave the whole blade in the body, we want to reduce his moments as much as possible. I will use my strength and try to keep him distracted.] Talia said **,** the others nodded and drew their sabers

Talia rushed in first, the others used their greater speed to vanish from sight, Alucard let out a primal roar and charged at the older Bride bringing his blade down on her, Talia placed her saber in front taking head on the full force of the blow. Even with her strength, she couldn't help but be pushed back by the momentum behind his blade, however she had to admit that it was strangely sloppy, she did not expect the missing eye to affect him this much. The reason he was acting like that was not because of pain, it was because Alucard no longer felt in command of his own body, his mind was a simple spectator while his body was being controlled by some other force.

Alucard felt desperate, he had no way to communicate and no way to command his body, it reached the point the body was no longer on autopilot and simply stood there taking his brides hits. A combined blow from Nyx and Talia sent his helmet flying and sent him crashing into the ground, in his mind Alucard knew this was it he was at their mercy whatever came next was unavoidable. At least his Brides weren't holding anything back, even if he was currently unable to move, he could see they weren't holding back in their attacks, this made him somewhat feel at peace.

"What now?" Touka asked looking over Alucard's body, she was to his right side

"I don't want to do this." Nyx said to his left, holding back her tears

"We have our orders from, Ainz-sama." Talia remarked, using her left hand to clean the tears already rolling down her cheeks

Talia was standing over him, she raised her saber over her head, the target her creator's neck if she severed the head it should result in the most painless and quickest death possible.

 **Bleach - What Can You See In Their Eyes**

Something one would think physically impossible happened, Alucard went from his laying position to standing behind Talia, he had jumped clean over her, the Brides quickly turned back to face the supposedly beaten enemy but were not ready for what meet their gazes. As soon as Talia turned back, she felt her master's teeth sink into her left shoulder, her eyes widened with shock and horror at such animalistic action. Her attention went to his one glowing eye, that was partially covered by his hair, in it was a completely deranged and savage look, in that moment she knew that what stood before her wasn't Alucard.

Touka and Nyx tried to attack, but the fiend's reflexes were too keen he jumped away from them, as he did so his armor fell into pieces on the floor, when he landed his clothing was reduced to his shorts. From his injured right eye the piece of silver dropped, and it began to heal, other small cuts that covered his body from his Brides attacks also began to heal, his body became elongated and thinner. His fingers also grew longer and thinner, along with his claws, the teeth in his mouth turned into needles, his mouth became rounder and a large tongue sprung out from it. Before the three Brides and Shalltear, now stood the real form of the True Vampire Alucard, it was more beast now than man, but it was under no circumstances to be underestimated as things that once held him back were now gone.


	10. Nazarik vs The Vampire Alucard

**Bleach - Stand up be Strong**

Alucard charged, his speed was overwhelming, from the point of views of those present he was nothing but a blur and two glowing red dots, the Brides took their stances and waited. The beast reduced it's speed a few feet near Talia before it lunged, at the already injured Bride, the Supreme Beings left hand came down on her. Reacting quickly Talia placed her saber up, with her left hand on the tip of the blade, using it to block the blow, when his hand made contact with it the strength was overwhelming. Even for Talia who was known for her raw power, just this attack from Alucard forced her to one knee.

Seeing her sister in trouble Touka lunged at her master, quickly reducing the distance between them she jumped on his back and tried to ram her blade through his neck. The True Vampire threw himself back, not wanting to be caught between him and the ground, Touka was forced to let him go, letting the beast throw itself on to the ground. Alucard rolled back to all fours shortly after, his piercing gaze fell on the two brides, his mouth began to make several clicking sounds, having apparently chosen his prey he went back on the offensive.

Touka took the lead and charged him head on, she hoped to be able to jump over him and perhaps land a blow on his back, having gotten close enough she jumped however her calculations had not taken Alucard's tongue into account. The beasts tongue stretched and wrapped around her leg, the True Vampire stopped in his tracks and pulled her back in his direction, the right hand was already prepared to deal a severe blow. His Bride had yet to give up, not seeing another way out she threw her saber unbending it on her creator's right shoulder.

The creature lout out a rage filled cry and proceeded to throw her into the ground, not freeing its grip Alucard ran in her direction, his left arm moved back readying for a killing blow. Touka for a moment closed her eyes, something she should never do but her body couldn't help but doing it in the face of death, she opened her eyes when Alucard's grip on her disappeared. Looking around she saw him standing several feet to her left and in front of her stood Nyx, in one hand was her saber and on the other the saber that had been on Alucard's shoulder.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Nyx chuckled

Nyx took her stance and charged, Alucard let out a roar and brought his left hand down as soon as she got close enough, the young vampire took one small step back avoiding the attack and jumped straight at his throat. Her opponent followed up by using his right arm to swat her away, having no way to avoid this she found herself being sent back, however Nyx managed to land on her feet and went back on the offensive.

Alucard lashed out with his tongue, hitting her in the left shoulder, staggering for a moment Nyx did not stop instead she dropped her blades and grabbed on to the tongue trying to keep him in place. The beast tried to pull her in his direction, for a moment he was unable to do so, which lead to him choosing to run at her, but while doing this he didn't pay attention to his surroundings or to Talia. The older of the Brides planted both of her fists on his head, with him not being prepared and her strength this was enough to force his head into the ground and his mouth to close.

The beast let out a bloodcurdling roar, it's hands went to its mouth and its eyes went to the tongue that now squirmed on the ground, with one swift motion Alucard rammed his left-hand claws through Talia's stomach then threw her at Nyx. The younger vampire jumped over her fallen comrade attacking him once more, Alucard tried to cut through her as well but found himself unable to deal with her speed and agility. The best lifted both hands into the sky with the intent of crushing the small vampire, when shock came over its eyes and its head dropped down to its chest. From Alucard chest three javelins emerged, having all hit at the same time, the True Vampire looked in the direction from where it considered them to have come from, there stood Shalltear who had just used all her Purifying Javelins.

"Get back!" she ordered the brides, not wanting to waste time after having stunned Alucard

"[Maximize Magic: Vermillion Nova]!"

Dark red flames wrapped around the beast's body, as it pulled out the javelins that were still stuck to its body, Alucard let out primal cries that sent a chill down the back of all those present.

 **Overlord - Clattanoia**

"[Grasp Heart]." a new voice echoed through the area

Alucard's hands went to his heart as he collapsed, he wasn't dead far from it even with the flames still eating away at his body, he was simply stunned to the point he had collapsed but this would only hold back the beast for so long.

All eyes turned to the source of the voice, hope now bathed them as Ainz himself emerged from the forest, their expression shifted when they saw what he was wearing, Shalltear recognized it immediately as the dress the old woman was wearing. Ainz wanted to run, he seriously wanted to run or tell them to look the other way, even if it was justified he didn't felt dignified wearing women's clothing. This was part of a plan he had come up with just after he arrived at Nazarik after having left Shalltear to deal with Alucard, lucky for him since the item was magical it adjusted itself to his size.

Now was not the time to think of such things, Alucard was already staggering back to his feet, if he was going to put an end to this it would be now, he activated Downfall of Castle and Country.

The True Vampire was staggering back to its feet when its mind went blank, unlike the first time since Alucard's mind wasn't really in control now the beast simply froze. The bloodlust in its eyes almost vanished, with a tiered gaze its attention fell on the Overlord, the now tongue less mouth tried to formulate words.

"You…" Ainz even from his distance could somewhat understand what he was saying

"…look…ridiculous…" Alucard collapsed soon after

Ainz couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, not counting the battle that had led to this moment, things had gone unexpectedly smoothly.

"My apologies, Ainz-sama. I…" Shalltear said approaching him, he raised his hand to silence her

"Seeing how things went it perhaps was for the best you didn't get him to go all out, you did good. All of you did good here today. Shalltear go back and get yourself healed. Nyx, Touka search the area for any equipment or items that may have been dropped during the battle or before." Ainz ordered, opening a Gate

"What about me, Ainz-sama? I can still work." Talia asked, using her arms to cover her injuries

"Is that so? Then stay here with Alucard, I will be sending out someone to take care of him and you."

"As you wish."

"Shalltear!"

Alucard rose up from his slumber, his voice echoed through the room, his body drenched in sweat and his breathing heavy and fast. His body felt terrible, he couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this in a way the feeling was almost nostalgic, pushing his body further up so he was properly sitting on the bed, Alucard began to look around. He was in his room, his gaze went to his desk where a massive pile of papers rested along with his music box, then red caught his attention looking down he saw that the sheets had red patches on them. From the color, it seemed to be blood, his hands and eyes went to his body nothing seemed to be amiss, so did something happen that he did not remember. Thinking back the last thing he could remember was throwing Shalltear into the portal, what happened after that became was a blur, and after a certain point he remembered nothing.

The door to his room opened, he held back the instinct to go on the defensive, perhaps because the last thing he remembered was being involved in a conflict, he felt on edge, this feeling calmed down when he saw Talia and Touka emerged through the door.

"Alucard-sama!" both gasped running to his side and taking his hand

"What's the matter?" he asked, feeling a small blush

"You've finally woken up." Touka replied

Both noticed immediately the change in his expression, they couldn't say he was confused or angry it was more a mix of both emotions.

"I'll close the door." Touka announced

"Talia, explain."

"Alucard-sama, you've been asleep for some time now…"

"How long."

"Some…weeks."

"Why wasn't I woken up!?"

"A-Ainz-sama, decided to let you sleep, he said you needed the rest." Talia replied, taking a small apologetic bow

"What did I miss…What about the human I brought here, Brain?"

"He's already been sent out. And I believe the reports should help you understand things better than I can." her eyes went to the massive pile of papers

"Touka, please bring them here." Alucard gestured with his right hand for her to approach

"Where should I place them?" she asked, standing to the right side of the bed with the folders in her arms

"Place them down next to me." she nodded and did as he said

The first folder he saw was the one that looked the oldest, but if it was on top it must have been recently altered, looking inside he found it to be updates on the current situation of Nazarik so he decided to put that aside for later. The one that followed he found it to be the results of the interrogation on a Kaire and Cedran, reading the summary he understood these to be the two bodies he had sent to Nazarik, this made him scratch his head as he did not remember doing such thing.

"It should become clear in the next report." Talia remarked, perhaps sensing the confusion in him

Picking up the next report, he saw that it was Shalltear's field report that covered the day they left Nazarik to the day their mission forcefully ended. Alucard gritted his teeth, how was this going to help make anything clear, then he noticed on the bottom of the page that this was part 1 and to start reading on the final page for part 2. Ignoring the strange way to order things he began to read the last page and on it said "Report on the situation regarding Alucard", it started with Shalltear being found outside Nazarik with the two bodies, one of them an old woman wearing Downfall of Castle and Country. Alucard read through the whole thing in a blink of an eye, when he was finished he had a sour taste in his mouth, his eyes went back to the blood that stained his sheets then to Touka and finally to Talia.

"I…I'm so sorry."

"Please, Alucard-sama, there is no reason for you to apologize…" Talia quickly tried to say, but found herself unable to do so with the blank sorrowful expression he was giving her

"Even so, it does not erase the fact that this whole thing happened because of me. If I hadn't saved Shalltear…"

"With all doo respect, Alucard-sama. You hadn't saved her, we would have to have dealt with her in your place." Touka interjected

"Touka…" Talia gasped, but Alucard raised his hand to silence her

"Is that so? Then what about the fact I left her alone, while I went to deal with Brain?"

"That is her fault! If she ended up crossing paths with the Black Scripture, it's her fault not yours."

Alucard ignored the new name she had thrown in, certainly he had made a mistake by leaving Shalltear alone, a mistake made because he believed the area to be free of strong enemies. However, he also thought that given the weak nature of the one's they were facing she should have no problem containing them, but it seems like the time she spent with him had little to no effect on her.

"The fault falls on both sides, do not try to cover for me Touka." he said in a weak monotone, placing the report down to his left

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. That was not my intention."

"Which one should I read next?" Alucard asked, not really direction his question to anyone in specific

"The one related to the interrogation." Talia replied, and Touka nodded in agreement

Alucard had some taste for reading, it wasn't that great but it was enough that he could read faster than average and could easily skim through the main topics. After reading the report he learned many things about what seemed to be one of the bigger threats in this world the Slane Theocracy. Like Touka had said, the one's he came in contact with were the Black Scripture which were the strongest out of the Six Scriptures, about those the report had little information about, seemingly these prisoners were a little harder to break than the others they had brought in. One of the things that worried him the most was that fact that the item used against him and Shalltear was but one of many the Theocracy possessed, apparently, they were left behind by their gods. Surely Ainz had thought the same thing as he did right now, they weren't the only people to have ended up here. Things could become troubling in the future, if the strength of those gods and their items is in any way comparable to Nazarik. On the end of the report was their current stance on the Theocracy, basically nothing had changed, outside being extra cautious.

Alucard agreed with this, they couldn't stay in this tomb forever, they had to spread out and explore the world, even if it meant doing it with small steps, if others had taken the place of gods in this world, they should be able to do the same. The final report about Nazarik, he quickly glanced over it taking in the main topics as he no longer wished to be trapped on his bed.

"Touka, bring some clothing if you will."

"Right away."

"What do you wish to do, Alucard-sama?"

"I should go see Ainz…" the Bride politely interrupted

"Ainz-sama is currently dealing with his adventurer duties."

"Then what is going on?" Alucard asked, the report he had read did not mention any fresh information

"We are just a few moments away from the battle between our forces and the lizardmen." Talia replied

Alucard had read about the Lizardmen, Ainz seemed to want to want to use their bodies to create undead, Alucard was not really seeing the point in this why slaughter them and use the limited number of bodies while one could get them to work for Nazarik, they were a force that would replenish itself.

"I see. Where's Nyx?"

"She's with Mare-sama…" Alucard interrupted

"Understood." if she was with a Guardian it should be fine

"Here are your clothes and Katana, Alucard-sama." Touka announced, emerging from the closet

The True Vampire looked at what she had in her arms, it was the same clothing she brought him before, the black trench coat, pants, boots and belt. This time he did not protest, feeling like he already wasted enough time he took the clothes from her arms laid them on the bed, then looked back at his brides motioning them to face the other way, it took him less than two minutes to get dressed.

"You may turn back around." he instructed

Much like the first time he felt Touka's eyes glued on his abs, he guessed it couldn't be helped but now was not the time for him to be distracted by such things there were things he wanted to do.

"Do any of you know where Shalltear is?" he asked, walking towards the door

"I think she is at the bar." Touka replied

"Then I will go there first."

"Alucard-sama, may I request something?" she spoke once more

"You may." Alucard replied looking back at her

Touka took a step back and moved behind Talia, placing her hands on the older Brides shoulders, a mischievous grin decorated her face, the Supreme Being began to regret having agreed to listen to her request.

"Can you talk with Talia? You see she looks so composed and dignified, but I and Nyx know that she is still beating herself up over what happened to you."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, Talia simply lowered her head, Touka dropped her playful expression for a more serious one and Alucard was left looking at both of them. He did not know what to say, he didn't even know that she had been that affected by this.

"Touka, leave."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

Touka bowed and walked out of the door, what Alucard did not see was when she was halfway out of the room, she turned around gave Talia the thumbs up and a suggestive wink, before truly leaving and closing the door behind her.

"Is this about what you told me before I went back to Shalltear?" Alucard asked, slowly approaching her

"Y-Yes, Alucard-sama." she replied in a low tone, her head still lowered

"You have no reason to be like that. I don't know what this intuition of yours is, but…you were right."

Talia slowly looked up at him, not because he had validated what she had said but because she couldn't understand how he could be so carrying after the way she had acted towards him.

"You told me not to go back, I did not listen…" Alucard couldn't help but chuckle

"And we both know how that ended. But you have no reason to feel guilty, I am very proud of what you did while I was under mind control." hearing such praise she couldn't help but shed a few tears

"A-Alucard-sama, I am unworthy of such praise. If I hadn't told you about my fears, I'm certain nothing bad would have happened to you. My words…I troubled you with my fears and then you…" Alucard placed his right index finger on her lips to silence her

She was right, he remembered that when he was informed that Shalltear had gone into the forest the weight of Talia's words also fell on him, but he couldn't place all the blame on her for what had happened.

"Come here." he grabbed on to her left arm and pulled her in into his embrace, he could feel her body stiffen on contact

"A-Alucard-sama."

"You were right, even if you weren't…Your words, the situation that followed them have showed me one thing. While out there with Shalltear, I got over confident, this is a new world and an unknown situation, even if I was with Shalltear I should have kept by guard up. For that I apologize."

"No. A Supreme Being, should not apologize for his actions. Alucard-sama I…" he spoke over her again

"Don't try to work around this." he paused and took a step back keeping his hands on her shoulders

"I am thankful to have with me people who won't hold back when voicing their concerns, or opinions. Take pride in that, Talia."

"I am touched by your words, Alucard-sama. To think that even after I spoke in such a manner to you."

"I appreciate the fact that you would risk facing possible punishment, in order to voice your concerns to me."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama." the male vampire gave her a smile while using his left hand to clean her tears

"Don't cry, Talia. That only serves to damper your beauty."

"Perhaps you should get going. I don't want to delay you any further."

Alucard's arms dropped to his side, she seemed to be feeling better, but he still felt that he should do something else to make her feel better.

"Speaking of which, do you know where the bar is?" he asked, she gave him a surprised look

"I do."

"Then, lead the way please. I really don't know where it is." it was a lie, but he felt that if Talia could feel of use to him it would ease her pain

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." she bowed

"Then please…" he opened the door and stepped to the side

"Lead the way." Alucard motioned her to take the lead


	11. Clementine

Like she had been instructed Talia was the one walking in front, Alucard was just a few steps behind her with Touka to his right. He wasn't sure, but Talia seemed to have lightened up since their conversation, he hoped that to be the case because by no means did he want one of his Brides to be carrying around a useless burden. According to Talia they weren't too far from the bar when they crossed paths with Albedo, at first Alucard could swear she seemed surprised, and not in a good way, when she saw him not wanting to think too much into this he ignored it.

"Alucard-sama. I'm glad to see that you have awoken." she said, with a bow

"Thank you, Albedo." giving her a nod, he motioned Talia to continue walking

"Alucard-sama, if I may speak, I have a message from Ainz-sama." he stopped and turned to look at her

"Go on."

"Shortly before the…incident, Ainz-sama captured a female martial arts user. Her name is Clementine and she's being kept in the Frozen Prison, Ainz-sama said that he wanted me to inform you because he wants Alucard-sama to be the first to speak with her."

"Then you are saying, that she has been kept down there waiting for me?" Alucard asked

"Correct."

"At least tell me she was being feed?"

"Of course, Ainz-sama did not want her to die before Alucard-sama got a chance to speak with her. According to him she is a powerful martial arts user, however she is also a criminal that being the reason why she is looked up and under heavy surveillance. Her health also should not be too bad, she is being feed and her injuries from her encounter with Ainz-sama have all be healed. But more importantly, from the information we got from those you have brought in, we know that she is a former member of the Black Scripture."

"What kind of crimes has she committed?"

"According to Ainz-sama, she is a murderer that takes pleasure in making her victims suffer." she sounded lovely

"I see. Then I will go see her after I speak with Shalltear. Thank you, Albedo."

"If I may, I will take my leave now, Alucard-sama."

"Do as you wish." taking another bow she left

"Touka, head out to the Prison, speak with Neuronist. Have her tell you anything of interest that may have happened with Clementine since she got here. Also, if she is being feed make sure they delay her next meal till I get there." Alucard ordered

"I'll do so right away, Alucard-sama." now only Alucard and Talia remained

"Let us continue then, Talia."

* * *

Like she had said, it didn't take long for them to arrive at the entrance to the bar, Talia stopped to the left of the entrance letting Alucard walk pass her, as he did so he stopped and looked back at her.

"You don't mind staying mind?"

"Of course not, Alucard-sama. I sense this is something you wish to do on your own."

"You do know me well." he smirked

"Please do not flatter me. I am one of your Brides, I'm simply fulfilling my obligations." with that Alucard walked in

"Welcome." Someone greeted him

Looking at the counter Alucard saw Sous-chef standing behind the counter and Shallter seating by the counter with her head resting on it, to her side was a spilled glass.

"Oh, Alucard-sama. You honor us with your presence, please allow me to serve you something." Sous-chef said cheerfully

Shalltear's head rose, like the dead rising from its grave, it was a slow and awkward motion as she looked up and then turned around to see the newly arrived customer. Alucard recognized the look in her eyes, she was drunk he was unsure if she could actually get drunk, but he could recognize that expression anywhere.

"You've awoken Alucard-sama…" she said, stumbling for her seat towards Alucard

It was a rather pathetic sight, so he couldn't help but help her keep her footing, when his hands came into contact with her he could feel an unnatural heat spread through her body, looking down he found her to be blushing, in his mind he hoped that she wouldn't speak.

"Have you come…to give me my…punishment?"

"…Let's get you back to your seat first." trying to ignore her words, he began to help her walk to her seat

"You are too kind with me, Alucard-sama…A failure like me is not worthy of such affection…"

"Failure?" he mumbled

Not wanting to waste any more time he picked her up, placed her on her seat and then sat to her right since the spilled glass was to her left.

"Yes, I who failed to protect Alucard-sama cannot be called anything else but a failure. Or when Ainz-sama instructed me to fight you, I once more was unable to carry out my orders because of my weakness."

"Would you like anything, Alucard-sama?" Sous-chef asked

"Yes…If you can two buckets of water, or something of equal quantity."

"R-Right away."

"I want something too!" Shalltear protested

"She has had enough." Alucard growled

The Supreme Beings eyes went to the smaller vampire, his attention focusing on her right arm that had been healed, at least they were able to regrow her arm that was something, but he had read in the report that he had said somethings about Peroroncino.

"Shalltear, I apologize for the things I said and did. I want you to know I didn't mean any of the things I did." Alucard said

"I know that…" she replied

They sat silent for a moment till the bartender arrived with the two buckets, Shalltear did not pay much attention to them, Alucard gave him an approving nod and picked up the first bucket. Shalltear had no time to react as Alucard emptied the first bucket on her, when she was about to say something he dropped the second, ignoring the strange fact that her bust seemed to swell a little, she appeared to have sobered up.

"That's better." he laughed

"Alucard-sama…Why did you…" Shalltear gasped, stopping when her superior placed his left hand on top of her head

"What do you think you are saying!? Calling yourself a failure, what the hell is this!?" he shouted at her

"But it's true I wasn't able to help you…" she went silent when he slammed his fist against the counter

"No, you are wrong Shalltear. You placed yourself into a situation that neither of us could have dealt with, not with how things ended up. It is your fault for throwing yourself into an unknown information, it is my fault that I left you alone. Could I have left you behind when you were being attacked with the item?" Shalltear nodded slightly

"Wrong! By the time, I got there the mission was already over, if the ship was to go down the captain was going down with it, that would be me. No matter the way I look at it, I cannot bring myself to leave my men behind." he gave her an innocent smile

"Alucard-sama…"

"They always said I was too stubborn for my own good."

"I…am unworthy to hear such words." Shalltear couldn't take the fact he was placing part of the blame on himself

"So, you all say. Then, do you still wish to be punished?"

"Yes, Alucard-sama. Please serve a punishment upon me. This will also allow me to achieve joy out of loyalty."

"Then you know what that means, correct?" by her expression Alucard could tell she did not understand

"I will also have to be punished. If your mistakes were brought about by mine, it only makes sense. And a superior should lead by example after all, it will be quite the display."

"But, you can't Alucard-sama! For a Supreme Being to lower himself to that extent, it's unthinkable."

"Will just have to see, now won't we. I'll see you around Shalltear."

Walking away from the bar, Alucard had a satisfied expression on his face, even if he wasn't able to convince Shalltear to no request punishment, the fact he had said the he would go through it as well was an interesting turn of events. Taking into account the trouble he had caused, it was only fitting that he would give something back.

"Were you able to do what you desired, Alcuard-sama?" Talia asked walking behind him

"No. I tried to convince Shalltear out of requesting punishment but I failed."

"I believe it is for the best, through her you will be able to show the others the cost of failure."

"I see we think alike. I wonder what they will think when they see receive my punishment." Alucard noticed that Talia had stopped stunned by his words

"Is it necessary for Alucard-sama to do such a thing?"

"Shouldn't it be, the reason things ended up as they did was because I left her alone, I must take responsibility for my mistakes."

"I guess, it makes sense." she didn't sound too confident in her words

"But for Alucard-sama to lower himself to the level of a servant, it is undignified."

"It's not about dignity, it's about what's right and setting a proper example. If I made a mistake that could have costed us all greatly I have to pay for it." Alucard growled back, seeing the fire in his eyes Talia could see he was not going to change his mind

"As you wish. Alucard-sama."

"Now let's go. We have someone waiting for us."

* * *

"It's faster to ask someone about it. Was the prophecy of Thousand Leagues Astrologer wrong? The mission to defeat the Catastrophe Dragon Lord… something happened to them, right?" Zesshi Zetsumei asked, her eyes still transfixed on the Rubik cube

"... They fought two mysterious undead and retreated after six deaths and the loss of one of the artifacts left to us by the gods."

"Who died?"

"Kaire-sama along with the 5th, the 6th, the 8th, the 9th and the 10th seats of the Black Scripture." the Captain replied

"Those are some heavy losses…what a disaster, how did you lose so many?" her eyes slightly moved up to him, the number of deaths seemed to have gotten her interest

"Kaire-sama and Cedran were killed by the male undead's own hands, the rest were killed when they tried to approach it. The thing set up some kind of trap in the area, I believe it he uttered the name [Garden of Vlad]."

"What did it do?"

"When they got, close spears came up from the ground, impaling those who were near. We decided to recover the bodies and leave it alone."

"And I heard there were two of them. It must have been a big surprise to find two strong undead together."

He was unsure of what he should say, the fact that there were two of them was already unnerving, and seeing Zesshi show any kind of interest was also something rare.

"So, between the male and the female who do you think was stronger?"

"The male, I was unable to keep up with his speed." her lips curled into a smirk after hearing his answer

"Then, between the male and me. Who is stronger?"

He was unsure of what to say, he had concluded that the male was stronger just by his speed, but he had also taken a hit from the female her strength was also considerable, it was possible that then the male was stronger. However just because he was faster didn't mean he had the strength to match his speed, something else that concerned him was the fact that he had put up some strong resistance to the effects of the artifact showing great mental fortitude.

"You think he's stronger?" her voice brought him back from his thoughts

"I'm not sure, but with your equipment it is impossible for a monster to get the better of you." his answer was somewhat rushed in the face of her inquiry

"Then without gear…I would lose?" there was a strange glow in her eyes, one could mistake it for happiness

"I can't really say…" Zesshi raised her hand to silence him

"Let's leave it at that…to think I could know defeat…" in his opinion she was too happy about this

"Wonder if they will let me go out for a walk…" she mumbled

"You can't be serious?"

"I'm joking…mostly."

* * *

Alucard and Talia arrived at the Frozen Prison, the one that came to greet them was Touka, she was alone.

"The prisoner and her weapons are ready for you, Alucard-sama." she said

"Her weapons?"

"Yes, four Stilettos and a Morning Star."

"I see. Then lead the way, Touka."

"Anything I should know?" Alucard asked, as they walked

"Y-Yes. It seems she had the habit to bite those who were sent to feed her, which resulted in other methods of feeding to be adopted. But there is no need to worry, she is fully restrained and won't bite, unless you get too close." Touka replied

"I'll be cautious then." he chuckled

"Also, I will be going in alone. If she is as…pleasant, as she sounds it will be for the best."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." both Brides said

Finally, they arrived at the door that lead to the cell, Touka opened the door and he walked in motioning both of them to stay by the door and look it behind him, even if they did not seem happy with the idea they agreed.

Entering the cell, Alucard took a quick look around, to his right was a wooden table with her weapons, the chamber itself wasn't too wide and was illuminated by a single light in the ceiling. The prisoner was strapped to the wall in front of him, bound by her arms, legs and neck, she was positioned at a point where her eyes could meet his if she was to look ahead. She was wearing little to no armor, some pieces of it seemed to be missing but overall, he could conclude that maybe she focused on speed and agility.

"Wake up, Clementine. You have a visitor." Alucard hissed, leaning against the door

The woman began to emit a low laugh, her head lifting slightly Alucard could now see the small smirk that decorated her lips, but her eyes were still hidden behind the mess that was her hair.

"What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I heard you considered yourself to be a strong martial arts user, I got curious." she laughed more openly this time

"Is that so? If you were hoping for a demonstration~ I am sorry to say I cannot oblige~ I'm a little tidied up."

"Good thing that, that wasn't my intention, we can work on that later. After all, I am the only reason you are still alive, so you can understand I am more than curious to see what you can do in person."

Clementine's attention was now on him, moving her head so her hair wouldn't be in the way she eyed the vampire that stood before her, what did he have to do with her still being alive? The Lich was going to kill her of that she was sure, but then his resolve seemed to have weakened which resulted in him breaking her back in a way that it would not be fatal. Was it possible that he exited to kill her because of this being, and if that was the case was he stronger than the Lich to be able to influence him.

"Allow me properly introduce myself. I am Alucard, I work with the one who brought you here, the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarik, Ainz Ooal Gown."

The name was not strange to her, while being carried to her cell and from time to time she would hear the name being spoken, it was easy to conclude that he was important, but she did not imagine that he was the ruler of this place.

"You see we at the time, were searching for martial arts users, and he says that you are worthy of note. Now, I have come across some myself, I've fought them, I've killed them and I have one working for me. That being said, I came here to see what you can do for us." she chuckled

"You sound confident~ But I have no reason to do anything for you."

"There is no need to say that right away, after all you are still young, Clementine." even if his voice did not sound threatening she couldn't help but feel a chill go down her spine

"And here in Nazarik, death is the last thing you have to worry about. So, you will listen to what I have to say, agreed?"

"If you insist."

"First of all, Gazef Stronoff and Brain Unglaus. Do you know them, or of them? If you do then in a fight who would win?" she chuckled once more

"I guess they would be able to put up some kind of a fight." Clementine pouted slightly

"I haven't fought Gazef, but I have crossed blades with Brain. If you are stronger than him, perhaps you are actually worthwhile, even if you are of limited use."

"I beg your pardon~? How can I am I limited?"

"I heard of your exploits, how you like to treat you victims. People like you are rather limited in what they are good for."

"What is this? A vampire with morals~ How cute."

Alucard couldn't help but let out a weak chuckled, leaning forward he began to approach her, his eyes began to emit a weak glow, seeing this Clementine wanted to run away they reminded her of Ainz. She squirmed and pulled but her restraints wouldn't give, the vampire stopped just a few feet from her his mouthed opened slightly within she could see his fangs, for a moment she was convinced this was it, but the he spoke.

"What's wrong? I let out a bit of killing intent and you already give up. I was expecting more." he then turned around and began to walk back and forth across the room

"As I was saying, the usages we have for you are limited, after all someone like you who seems to kill for pleasure can only do so much within an organization." even if the prisoner looked unnerved she had the courage to interrupt him

"To be fair~ I had a beautiful collection of trophies before I got sent here."

"At first I considering having a strong martial arts user in the place of a teacher, since we need someone to help us learn and possibly teach us about them. However, you are not fit for such role, then what should I do with you?" Alucard stopped near the table with her weapons, his gaze now piercing through Clementine

"I can do all kinds of things~ Like you said killing and torture are among them…I can also do lewd things…"

Alucard resisted the urge punch her, he needed to keep a cool head, even if force would work he did not wish to use such methods over something so petty.

"What about your loyalty, I heard you betrayed the Black Scripture."

"They weren't as persuasive as Ainz-san~ Now were they?"

"You should say sama when referring to either him or me, it is only proper. What do you think of working as an enforcer? Of course, I will be keeping you under a short leach, but it will give you better conditions than this." Alucard gestured to the cell

"Also, being under our protection is much better than living on the run, and while in Nazarik it will stop anyone from trying to eat you. What do you think?"

"…" Clementine was about to reply, but he spoke over her

"I will let you decide, after you have shown me your strength." walking up to the door, he knocked on it

Touka was the one to open the door, Talia was behind her, Alcuard walked out closed the door behind him and gave them a confident expression.

"Talia, go find Nyx and bring her back to my room. Touka arrange for her, and her things, to be move to my training room."

"Alucard-sama, if I may ask, why are you moving her?"

"It should be obvious. I'm going to beat the fear of god into her."


	12. Negotiations

Alucard, Talia and Nyx were already in his room, while the younger vampire was allowed to sit on the bed, Talia of course stood behind her master. He was in the process of removing his trench coat, leaving his upper body completely exposed, something that caused Talia to avert her gaze from him.

"No need to look away, Talia." he said, placing his coat on the bed

"I mustn't look, too see Alucard-sama like this, I simply can't. You should look the other way too, Nyx." Talia remarked, all the while looking at the door

"Ok…" Nyx pouted, looking at the door as well

"Touka hasn't arrived with the prisoner yet."

Alucard said this as he looked over Clementine's weapons that were on his desk, even in Nazarik it seemed that the process of moving a prisoner from place to place took some time after all it was a delicate matter. However, her weapons could be easily moved around, from the ones displayed before him he picked up only two Stilettos, there would be no need to give her anything else.

"You wish for me to contact her, and tell her to hurry?" Talia asked

"Talia, if you are going to speak to me I ask that you look at me while you do so. And there is no need, moving a prisoner tends to take some time. Specially one like her."

The older Bride slowly forced her head to move in his direction, when her eyes finally fell on his figure a sudden rush of heat bathed the vampire's face causing her gaze to go to the floor.

"My apologies I cannot bring myself to stare at your exposed body."

Alucard internally rolled his eyes, she spoke as if he was naked, he was just shirtless certainly that wasn't that big of a deal to cause such reaction on her. On the other hand, he liked that shy part of her, for someone who would kill anyone she was ordered to, to be flustered by the simplest of things.

"Then I will be going to the training room. Once I am alone with her, I want the three of you to keep watch over the door, just in case."

"Understood." Talia said

"Alucard-sama, what about the battle between our forces and the lizardmen? It should be starting shortly, don't you wish to see it."

"I won't have the chance to see it. But if any of you wish, you are free to do so, as long as one of you keeps watch over the door."

The True Vampire closed the train room door behind him, he walked to the middle of the room sat down and placed the Stilettos on the ground in front of him. Closing his eyes, he began to relax both his mind and body, he had never been one to drag out a battle or inflict more pain on an enemy than he had to. In the face of Clementine and how he wanted to have her working for them, he feared that this time such limitations would have to be lifted. How should he go about this, part of himself was itching for hand to hand combat, in this case he would be the only one not using a weapon. Perhaps he shouldn't be so careless, she may just surprise him and with only his hands to block attacks he could easily lose them, still it wasn't like if he needed he couldn't simply draw his katana.

* * *

It didn't take long for the door to open once more, Touka was the first to enter in her hand a chain that was connected to the person he entered after her. Clementine had both her wrists and ankles chained, along with her mouth being gagged, the chains that restrained her limbs all went to a larger chain that Touka was holding.

"I have brought her just like you requested, Alucard-sama." Touka announced

"Good work. Free her, and then leave us, don't forget to close the door and you may leave the chains in here."

Doing as he had instructed Touka left, leaving the chains near the door. Clementine briefly massaged her wrists, diminishing the sensation caused by having been dragged for so long a distance. Her careful gaze went to her weapons and the vampire sitting next to them, for just a moment her attention feel on his exposed upper body. When he came to visit her, she got a look at his physic but since it was partially hidden by his coat she wasn't sure, seeing it now Clementine concluded that he was in pick condition. Something else that had also caught her attention was his weapon, a Katana, for him to be using such a blade made her think that he at least had some kind of experience, unlike the Lich.

This realization made her want to take a step back, resisting this urge she did not move, she had been beaten by a magic caster playing warrior, the one standing before her now seemed to be a warrior. Her heart began to beat faster, of course she wasn't really expecting to win whatever was going to happen here, after what happened her confidence had taken a major blow. Even so, Clementine found peace in the fact that the one who had beat her was a magic caster, but this vampire seemed to be something else.

"Aren't you going to take your weapons? After all, I didn't bring you here so you could just stand around."

The vampire sat back up and jumped about 10 feet from her weapons, even if she was possibly weaker than him the fact that he was already looking down on her made her anger flare. She was Clementine, someone who had reached the level of heroes, and some vampire was treating like an animal. She approached slowly, keeping her eyes on Alucard at all times, Clementine wanted to at least be able to dodge if he tried anything, strangely he didn't and she managed to pick up her Stilettos.

"Now then, Clementine, shall we begin the process of negotiating your "contract"?"

"What~? You're planning on beating up a rusty and starving girl~" Clementine asked, trying to put up a composed look

"Looking at you I wouldn't have said at, you do seem to be in good shape for someone who has been locked up for so long." she gave him a wide mischievous smile

"Then you were looking~ Pervert~ But you are right."

"Actually, before we start do you perhaps know a Kaire and Cedran?"

Clementine did not reply, not because she didn't know them, but because she did not understand why he was asking this.

"I take it that you. Because interestingly, most likely around the time you were facing Ainz, I came across the Black Scripture and Kaire." Clementine's face showed shock

"And before I fell to the effects of Downfall of Castle and Country, I managed to take those two out. So, if you are ever feeling lonely, remember that we have revived them and they are in the same prison as you." a disturbing grin came over Alucard's face

Clementine was shaken, not because the two who had died but because the being standing before her had felt the impact of one of the Theocracy's relics and seemed to have survived like nothing had happened, not only that but he had said to have face the Scripture. Clementine wasn't sure of how many he had faced, but once more if he was still standing before her now his power was truly fearsome.

"W-What about the item?" she managed to say

"In our hands."

Was there even a point to be holding her Stilettos anymore, what could she possibly hope to do against this demon? What could she possibly hope to do in the face of the Momon, or should she say Ainz Ooal Gown? Clementine's grip began to loosen, it had been many years since she had felt anything like this, so many that she was sure such feeling had never affected her. The complete loss of morale and hope, wasn't something someone who once stood so proudly over her fellow warriors could process, Clementine's body froze in place unable to cope with the situation, waiting for the next exterior input.

"Shall we get started?" his voice echoed through the chamber

Clementine's eyes almost mechanically went to him, Alucard was taking slow and deliberate steps towards her, his stance did not seem to show any fighting intent at all his arms were hanging freely to his sides and his body seemed relax. This situation was perfect she could easily get a hit in, however her body did not respond because she could already see what would happen, in her mind she only saw failure, her failure.

"Is this how you are going to show me your martial arts?"

No answer came, Alucard couldn't believe that she had lost hope so soon, perhaps he had done a mistake by telling her about his encounter with the Scripture, honestly he expected her not to care or not be affect by his words. What a shame he was hoping to get some enjoyment out of this, if Ainz had decided sooner to bring her back he should have had Alucard fight her in the first place. Now it was too late to beat fear into her, because under the façade she showed him there was already fear.

Within the blink of an eye, Alucard was in front of Clementine hitting her in the chest with his opened palm he sent her flying like a ragdoll into a wall, causing her to drop her weapons along the way. Alucard had controlled his strength perfectly, he had no wish to inflict unnecessary damage, so this blow was just used to send her into the wall.

Clementine staggered back to her knees, now in all fours she managed to lift her head to look at the vampire, in what seemed to be one step the towering figure now stood in front of her.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I…" Clementine had no time to reply as he vampire grabbed her by her hair and forced her back to her feet

"I have already told you, the name is Alucard. So, if you wish to speak to me you will start with my name followed by a suitable honorific."

He dropped her, Clementine fell to her knees and watched the vampire walk away, at this point her will to fight was close to zero. Just by seeing his speed she could tell that her best shot at matching that would be with martial arts and her body at a 100%, which at this moment was impossible.

"You did not reply to my question. Are you purposefully making me wait?"

"A-Alucard…-sama, I don't want…" her fragile voice was overshadowed by his laughter

"What is this? You stand inside the Great Tomb of Nazarik, inside my personal training chamber, you a miserable ant and you still dare to think about what you want!?" his tone was stained with anger

Just that alone made Clementine shiver, then once more he stood next to her this time he was to her side, Clementine could already predict what was coming, bracing for impact Alucard kicked her in the stomach sending her rolling across the floor, her body stopped near one of her weapons.

"Now, speak properly."

"Alucard-sama~ Please grant this one…mercy~"

With the vampire slowly approaching behind her, Clementine began to stagger back to her feet using her body as a barrier she hid the fact that she had picked up her Stiletto, with her right hand. So far it had been unpleasant but his strength was nothing compared to what she had felt from Ainz, if he wasn't going to take her seriously and use his full strength, it only made sense he was leaving himself open to attack. Taking quick breaths, in an attempt to calm herself and ignore the broken ribs from the kick she began to activate her martial arts, [Pace of the Wind], [Greater Evasion], [Ability Boost], [Greater Ability Boost].

When Alucard was close enough to grab her, turning around with amazing speed she attacked the vampire, taking into account that he still had a flesh body she was certain that landing a hit on the neck, eyes, or simply the skull would be enough to momentarily stun him. The slight triumphant smile that decorated her face soon disappeared and her skin went pale, as if she was moving at the speed of a snail Alucard grabbed on to her wrist, he didn't seem angry or surprised, no he seemed to be disappointed. Then a cracking sound echoed through the room, it was her wrist, letting out a painfilled screech Clementine dropped her weapon and her opponent let go of her.

"Not bad. Taking into account your starved state and broken ribs."

Clementine hissed back like a cornered animal, Alucard thought of what to do next, she had asked for mercy but followed it up by attacking him, that meant that she still had some fight left on her.

"What shall we do next? I'm feeling rather generous after that." he said, stretching his arms out as if waiting for a hug and then started to approach her

A monster waiting for her with open arms, this is what she saw in him, memories from her confrontation with Ainz came back to the grip had that so easily broken her. She couldn't let him get close to her, Clementine did not want to experience such pain again, but what could she do, his speed was far greater than hers. The dim glow in the vampire's eyes transmitted the sense of pure hunger, however the rest of his posture made her think that he only wanted to intimidate her into serving them.

The vampire stopped and took a stance, letting out a small breath he attacked his right arm positioned back with his fist clenched, from what she could conclude he was just going to punch her in the face. Clementine had nowhere to go so she placed her arms in front of her face and used [Invulnerable Fortress], now only the hope of her body and martial arts being able to survive the incoming blow drive her. She closed her eyes in the moment he was about to make contact, this turned out to be a grave mistake, Alucard instead of attacking moved around her and wrapped his left arm around her waist.

Clementine tried to let out a panicking cry but she was muffled by the vampire's right hand on her face forcing her head to the side. Right away she understood what he was doing, he was exposing her neck, the bastard was going to feed on her or did he plan to turn her into a vampire? Either way she couldn't allow it, no matter what others said she was a human, and while her body was still responsive she would fight for her humanity. Alucard opened his mouth slightly letting his breath bathe the woman's neck, his keen senses could pick up all the small fragrances that decorated her, there were traces of blood, not only hers both that from her victims.

He slowly made his way down to bite her neck, when he got hit in the face with a left hand followed by kicks to his legs, his prey was squirming how annoying, perhaps he should knock her out but then he would have to wait for her to wake up and his bite would have no reaction. Ainz had broken her back before so he could do that, she was going to be healed anyway so it wouldn't make much of a difference in what condition her back would be, another punch hit him in the face, from his point of view it was like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Stay still." he growled, lifting his hand so she could speak

"I'm not a piece of meat for you to bite on!" she spat back, not stopping her wild movements

"Then you have yet to learn your place."

"You bastard…I won't be turned into a vampire." she remarked, this time one of her kicks hit him in between the legs with no effect

"Human, or vampire. What's the difference?"

"I take pride in my humanity…I'll serve you all you like~ But I won't give up on being human." he dropped her

"Is that so? You are already seen as a monster by human standards. What do you gain from staying human?"

"I believe it's scarier that way~" she replied, with a small smirk

"A wolf in sheep's skin? That's an interesting way to look at things." Alucard grabbed her by her hair, pulled her up than sat her on the floor

"So, I believe we were in the middle of negotiating the terms of your "contract". I just need a signature, a way for you to show your loyalty to us." Alucard said with a smirk, now standing in front of her

Clementine knew very well that all of this had been a waste of energy on her part, to him this probably was just some way to spend the time however she could not completely ignore the mood changes he went through, overly aggressive at one point and understanding on the next. She could see only two paths that she could follow, refuse to obey them and die or worse, obey them and get to live on, her actions would be limited like in the Theocracy but since she was surrounded by monsters her hobbies shouldn't be restricted too much.

"Anything you wish~ Alucard-sama." she said, placing herself on her knees

"Then I'm sure one little, harmless, bite won't hurt. Right?"

She looked up at him, his gaze had returned to that of a predator the two glowing orbs were focused on her. Slowly Clementine moved her head to the right giving him a better view of her neck, like before she got a taste of his great speed, as the vampire went from a standing position to a kneeling position in a blink of an eye. Clementine held back on a girlish yelp when she felt his teeth break through the skin of her left shoulder, she was surprised with how careful he was, the pressure being applied seemed to have been carefully calculated in order to do minimal damage. She didn't feel anything like him draining her of her blood, this was just a mark, a way for her to remember who she belonged to now. Alucard got back to his feet and began to walk away from the look in his eyes it was as if he had lost all interest in the situation.

Alucard knocked on the door, the signal to his Brides that he was finished with her, the door opened and Talia entered the room.

"I'm done." he announced, in a cold manner

"I see." Talia replied, with a worried expression

"Nyx, heal her. Touka see what you can do about getting her a proper meal. Talia see if we can get somewhere for her to stay among the servant's quarters, also make sure everyone knows that she is not to be harmed without proper reason."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." the Brides replied


	13. Loss and Punishment

Comparing a woman to an animal was in no way something one should say or think, however in this moment that was the only way Alucard could describe Clementine. Sitting on the floor of the training room, her wounds having already been healed leaving only the scar of his bite, she was eating the meal that Touka had brought her. The quality of the food was something truly amazing, in all her life Clementine had never eaten something like this, even when working for the Theocracy, and in her starved state she couldn't help but devour her meal.

Alucard watched on from the entrance of the chamber, currently he was waiting for Talia to arrive and inform him if she was able to find some other place for Clementine to stay at, if she couldn't the woman would be taken back to her cell. During this time, he was also informed that their forces had lost against the lizardmen, at first he did not understand but after having the battle properly explained to him he was more at ease. The sound of the door opening caught his, Touka's and Nyx's attention, Talia had just arrived.

"Were you able, to find somewhere to put her?" Alucard asked, approaching his older Bride

"I was, Alucard-sama. I was also informed that Alucard-sama will be holding a meeting in the Throne Room." she replied, her eyes on the ground since he still had his upper body exposed

"Then, I seems I will have to bother my Brides with taking care of our newest acquisition." Alucard sighed, picking up his coat from the bed

"Not at all, Alucard-sama. We are here to serve." Talia said

"Yeah. We are here to help, Alucard-sama." Nyx added

"We'll do as you command, Alucard-sama." Touka said

"Truly I am lucky, to have such helpful companions by my side." he remarked, placing his coat back on, his words causing all the Brides to blush

"You honor us with your word, to be called companions…" Talia began, but another female voice spoke over her

"I take it~ I will be going back to my cell~"

All eyes went to the entrance to the training room, Clementine was standing at the door way leaning against the wall, with a playfully sad expression on her face.

"Not at all. We've found some other place for you with the rest of our servants, as long as you play nice with them, I can assure your wellbeing." Alucard explained

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Alucard-sama." she said, with an apologetic bow

"We shall see. My Brides will be taking you to your new room, make sure you behave, they are not as forgiving as I am."

"What can we do, if she acts out of line?" Touka eagerly asked

"As long as you don't go overboard. I'll let you decide."

* * *

Alucard left shortly after, as he walked to the Throne room he felt somewhat bad for having his Brides take care of Clementine and for the fact that would mean they couldn't come to the meeting with him he rather enjoyed having them there with him. Arriving at the great doors that lead to the Throne room, this feeling of not having his brides came back to him it was a unpleasant feeling. Trying to distract himself from that, he looked around and not seeing anyone he wondered if he had been the first or last person to arrive, pushing the doors open he quickly found out his answer. Taking his first steps into the chamber, he was happy to know that he had beat Ainz but he guessed it made sense, after all the ruler should make a grandiose appearance after his subjects had assembled.

"I'm glad to see everyone made it here on time." he remarked when passing by the Guardians, on his way to the left side of the throne

"We would never miss the Supreme Beings calling, Alucard-sama." they replied in unison

"I see. Then before Ainz, arrives I would like to apologize for the trouble I must have caused all of you, during the recent incident."

Before the Guardians could reply, the doors to the Throne room opened they did not look back as they knew it wasn't their ruler and Alucard from his position could clearly see who it was, Yuri Alpha.

"All hail the arrival of the most Supreme Being of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama, and also Overseer of the Guardians, Albedo-sama."

The doors made an opening sound again and this time it was to signal the arrival of the Overlord of Nazarik, behind him was Albedo. Alucard had no need to show that much respect towards Ainz in the way of kneeling, however since he had decided to work as his helper he did straighten his posture waiting for him to take his seat. The Guardians did not move, this was a sign of their respect towards their superiors, Cocytus for some reason moved it was just slightly but it was enough to get the others attention. Alucard also noticed this, but what disturbed him even more was the unfiltered anger coming from Albedo.

Ainz sure took his time to seat down, that was the only thing on Alucard's mind, he knew Ainz had to play the role of a leader but he could be faster. Finally, Ainz sat down and Albedo spoke after taking his right side.

"Everybody please raise your heads to gaze upon the noble presence of Ainz Ooal Gown-sama."

As the Guardians raised their heads to look upon their ruler, Alucard couldn't ignore the fact that the situation felt strangely tense, sure he hadn't been to that many of these meetings but the tension was obvious.

"Ainz-sama, the Guardians of Nazarick have all gathered before you. Please give us our commands." Albedo said

"Welcome, Guardians. Before we get started, Alucard-san I would like to speak with you in private after the meeting." Ainz said

"Likewise." the vampire replied

First person Ainz spoke to was Demiurge, their exchange began with the possibility of there being any suspicious individuals on what Demiurge was working on, to the skin he was providing apparently could be used to create low rank scrolls. Perhaps it was the demons tone or the way he spoke, but the words "two legged sheep" made Alucard wonder what he was truly using, after all there were all manner of intelligent creatures that could fit that description. Taking into account what he knew of the Guardian's personality and what he knew of his creator, the idea of him using sentient beings to harvest the skin was not completely out of the picture, but Alucard decided not to press the issue.

Then was Victim, the whole conversation was around having him die if the situation called for it, Alucard did not pay any special attention to this exchange, the theme was not that pleasing to him.

"Next is Shalltear." Alucard's gaze shifted to his fellow True Vampire

"Yes…Yes!" she said in a high-pitched tone, not expecting to be called upon

"Come over here."

She got up from her kneeling position, Alucard could see the unease in her posture, if she was still in favor of receiving her punishment he could understand the reason for her to be acting like this. It must be frightening for the Guardian to be walking up to what for her may be her death, Alucard himself was also feeling nervous having told her that he would be punished alongside her, in the back of his mind he regretted having said that. After Shalltear climbed up the stairs, she immediately got down on one knee at a short distance from the throne.

"Shalltear, I wish to talk about the matter which has been disturbing you."

Shalltear's face turned into one of shame and uncertainty, in her thoughts she failed to reply to Ainz words, because having understood what he was referring to the realization that if she was to be punished so too would Alucard, fell on her. Should she go ahead with her wishes, or should she back away in order to save her superior from such humiliation.

"Shalltear, Ainz-sama is waiting for you to speak." Albedo spoke in a low, yet aggressive, tone

"M-My apologies, Ainz-sama, I…" Shalltear tried to speak, but Alucard calmly interrupted her

"Have your wishes changed, Shalltear?"

"I apologize for my selfishness, but…" he raised his hand to silence her

"I understand. Then, do you mind if I am the one to relay our decision to Ainz." she nodded in reply, her expression full of shame

"Ainz, I have taken the liberty of speaking with Shalltear about this matter beforehand. If she still wants to be punished, I say we do as she wishes. In addition, I've decided that I too shall be punished with her."

Ainz turned his head slightly to the side to look at his comrade, he greatly controlled this motion as in reality he wanted to completely turn towards him with his jaw dropped. The air seemed to have been sucked out of the room, even the Guardian's mood had changed their attention did not fall on Alucard, but on Shalltear. In their minds, they blamed her for Alucard's decision, that her shameful displays of guilt had prompted their superior to show his pity in this from.

"Alucard-san, are you sure of this?" Ainz asked in a calm manner

The vampire did not reply right away, he walked in the direction of Shalltear now standing to her right side and what he did next further stunned their subordinates, he kneeled. The act wasn't strange, because they understood that he would bow before Ainz as he was the ruler of Nazarik and stood above all other Supreme Beings. What shocked them, was that he had kneeled to Shalltear's side and at that moment placed her in position almost equal to his. It was true Albedo stood by Ainz side, but her rank was above that of a Guardian and she remained on her feet while Ainz rested in the glory of his throne. Shalltear however was kneeling at the same level as Alucard, in the view of the others she was being placed in a position similar to his.

Shalltear of course was also thinking this and instinctually tried to lower her body even more, even if she had not been instructed to do so, her attempt failed as Alucard placed his hand on her shoulder motioning her not to move.

"Shalltear's failures came from my own. The reason she came across the enemy was because I miss judged her and thought that she could have cleared out the hideout in a quick and clean manner."

Alucard felt once more anger being directed towards Shalltear, it came from the others once more placing the cause of this display on her. In their minds, like it had been for Shalltear and Talia, a Supreme Being doing something like this was unimaginable. That was the conclusion Alucard came up with to explain what was happening, he wouldn't say this angered him but it was displeasing.

"Everyone. If you wish to direct your anger at anyone, then you should direct it at me after all as the commanding officer on that mission the responsibility falls on me." he said, not moving from his kneeling position

Soon enough all signs of anger or stares vanished, now Alucard was waiting for Ainz to speak.

"Alucard-san…you understand this is highly…unorthodox. Correct?" he finally managed to say

"Indeed."

"Shalltear, are you certain this is what you want?" Ainz asked

"Y-Yes."

"I understand. Let us leave the determination of the punishment for later. I cannot say if it will be shared or separate. Go back to your respective positions."

"Yes, Ainz-sama." Shalltear said

She walked down the stairs to rejoin the rest of the Guardians in their respectful poses, while Alucard went back to Ainz left side.

"Cocytus, Ainz-sama has a few words for you. Listen carefully."

Finally, the moment Alucard had been waiting for had come, he was interested to see what Cocytus himself would say after his defeat, and now that he was active and they had lost to the lizardmen Alucard couldn't help but wanting to see what would come next.

Alucard listened carefully to their exchange, among several things he understood perfectly one thing, the same problem that affected Shalltear, the lack of experience. Even Cocytus who was a great warrior, had made the mistake of underestimating the lizardmen and not gathering any intelligence on them, it pained Alucard to see that many of the creations of his comrades seemed to be lacking in this respect. As Ainz spoke, Alucard became even more convinced of what he already suspected this had been an experiment, just the fact he used weak undead soldiers proved it. In this battle victory was not the main purpose, it would have been welcomed but defeat was also acceptable.

"Originally, I planned to have you retreat to the back lines, however, perhaps this way is for the better. Cocytus, you shall personally wash away the shame of your defeat…go exterminate those lizardmen. This time you are not permitted to seek assistance from anyone else." Ainz said

"There. Is. Something. I. Wish. To. Request. Of. Ainz-sama." the Guardian said

"Please. Hear. Me. Out. Ainz-sama!" he added, as if wanting to affirm his resolve

"How dare you!"

The thunderous shout came from Albedo, Alucard leaned slightly to his left trying to distance himself from the irritating noise.

"You…" she was about to continued, but since she didn't seem to want to lower her tone Alucard interrupted

"I say we hear him out." he mumbled, leaning towards Ainz

Even if he spoke in a low tone, the mere fact he had move was enough to stop Albedo, certainly it hadn't been Ainz to act but being another Supreme Being she had no choice but to stop.

"Raise your head, Cocytus. What request do you have, and can you share it with us?" Ainz asked

Cocytus did not reply, he only mustered the courage the speak after Ainz voiced that he was in no way angry at him, it was much like a father reassuring his child.

"I. Oppose. Exterminating. All. Of. The. Lizardmen. And. I. Request. For. Your. Mercy."

Alucard sighed internally in relief and controlled himself not to immediately praise Cocytus, finally someone had had the courage to question the unreasonable act of simply exterminating all the lizardmen.

"… Cocytus, do you know what you are asking of?" Albedo hissed, killing intent spewing from her

"Ainz-sama commanded you to exterminate the lizardmen, as penance for your crime, yet you as the defendant dare to deny his will… Guardian of the 5th Floor Cocytus, are you afraid of the lizardmen?" she added

"Enough, Albedo. I'm certain Cocytus wouldn't ask for such a thing unless he was thinking of the wellbeing of Nazarik." Alucard pointed out

"My apologies, Alucard-sama."

"I agree with Alucard-san. Certainly, you see some benefit for Nazarik by asking us this. Do explain."

"Yes! In. The. Future. They. Might. Breed. Mighty. Warriors. Therefore. It. Would. Be. A Shame. To. Wipe. Them. All. Out. Right. Now. Your. Servant. Submits. That. It. Would. Be. Better. To. Instill. A. Strong. Sense. Of. Loyalty. Among. Them. So. That. When. Stronger. Lizardmen. Appear. We. Can. Take. Them. As. Minions."

"That is true, they can replenish their own forces and are smarter than your average undead warrior." Alucard remarked

"However, the undead I make with corpses are more economical than making use of lizardmen. Not only can we be sure of their loyalty, but we won't have to worry about their care and feeding. True that they will naturally increase in population, but that increase will take a long time to be seen…"

"A good ruler can take care of the loyalty issue, as long as they see more benefits in siding with us than against us they should maintain their loyalty. And even if it takes time increasing their numbers, we can use those we already have. And if I'm correct we can use them in battle if they die, there should be nothing stopping us from using those corpses right away during battle." Alucard added

"You suggest we rule without the use of fear?" Ainz asked, still pondering the issue

"I believe that at first we will need to use terror to make them "receptive". If we make a strong impression with the already existing lizardmen, I believe that when the next generation comes around their parents will do the work for us."

"Then, I shall make use of Alucard-san's suggestion. The lizardmen are no longer to be exterminated, but subjugated. Are there any objections? Raise your hands if there are." no one moved

With things going the way he wanted, Alucard somewhat zoned out of the discussion and since no one else addressed him he only returned to the topic sometime later.

"Albedo, I will be heading out as well. Prepare our forces."

"Are you sure you need to go to the front lines?" Alucard asked

"I mean, since you are the Boss, wouldn't it be more appropriate for them to meet you after their defeat?"

"I see what you are saying. Then, is it correct to assume that you want to be the one to go meet them?" Alucard gave him a childlike smile

"If you agree to it."

"If you insist. In terms of forces, what will you need?" Alucard was silent for a moment before replying

"I'm going to need four horses, one white, one red, one black and another pale or even undead."

"Your choices of color…" Alucard spoke over him

"Do not worry. I will be among those four, so even if our numbers are fewer I alone make up for that army."

"Who will you choose to accompany you?"

"I've already thought about it."

"Aren't you planning on telling me?"

"I would like to structure things a bit more, before saying anything."

"Either way, you won't mind if I have our forces on backup? Just in case."

"Of course not. Then I must contact Talia, to get things into motion." excusing himself, Alucard contacted his bride via Message

[Talia, how are things on your end?]

[We have relocated the prisoner, Alucard-sama.] Talia replied

[Is that so…I'm sorry to say I need her back at the training room. And stop calling her prisoner.] Alucard informed, in his mind it pained him to bother his Brides with such tasks

[As you wish.]

[Also, have Touka go down to the Frozen Prison and get Lottus. We don't need his brothers, just him, and have her take him to the training room too.]

[It shall be done, Alucard-sama.]

[It may take some time for me to get back, so make sure they don't hurt each other.] with that he ended the Message

"Alucard-san, shall we get going?" Ainz asked, already on his feet

"Lead the way."

* * *

Going to Ainz's room, the Lich walked in front, Alucard walked to the left and Albedo walked to the right. Along the way Alucard had to slow down his pace to match Ainz, who in his opinion walked very slowly. Arriving at the room, Ainz opened the door motioning Alucard to walk in and then directed his attention to Albedo.

"Wait here Albedo."

"…Yes, Ainz-sama." she replied with a bow, doing her best to conceal her sadness

Closing the door, Ainz began to walk up to his desk sitting on it he finally felt ready to speak with Alucard.

"This is about how we resolved the situation regarding your mind control."

"I was also wondering about this. Because, if I remember correctly that item did not have the ability to lift the mind control and if I'm not wrong I don't believe we have anything in Nazarik that could do that either." Alucard said, crossing his arms

"…That is correct…The thing is we weren't able to lift your mind control." Ainz paused, as the topic wasn't an easy one to discuss

"Then, how did you do it?"

"I used the item myself and placed you under my control. To be more precise I wrote over the previous effect and replaced it with my own, in this case the directive was for you to act out of your own will…" Alucard interrupted him

"Then I am a sleeper agent for whoever uses the item?"

"No. I experimented and concluded that the one under the item's influence can only be controlled by whoever placed the mind control effect on him."

"So…If you wanted, you can control me?" Ainz sighed deeply

"Yes."

Ainz was silent ready for some outburst, he would understand it given the situation, however Alucard did not move. Strangely his right hand seemed to move a little, the dim glow in his eyes returned and Ainz could sense a subtle change in the atmosphere.

"I understand that desperate times call for desperate measures. Just make sure it is safe."

"Of course."

"I'll be taking my leave then. I still have some things to take care off."


	14. Relieving Stress

Alucard arrived at his room, looking at the door leading to the training chambers it was already opened with Touka standing in the way. Seeing him she bowed and walked inside clearing the way for him to enter, inside the room Nyx sat on the ground visibly bored, while Talia looked over the Clementine and Lottus. The Lich was still wearing the same clothes as before and even all this time in a cell he still had that same smell as before.

"Alucard-sama." Clementine greeted, taking a graceful bow

"It's been some time, Lottus." the vampire remarked

"Indeed. I would like to apologize for the ignorance I showed you when we first met, Alucard-sama." the Lich replied, with a respectful bow

"I see, Neuronist did good work on you."

"Yes. She enlightened me." even all this time a chill ran down Lottus back every time she was mentioned

Neuronist had been extremely devoted in his "education", in her words she had taken "special care" in order to show him the greatness of the Supreme Beings. Even is Lottus mind was strong, she had a way of working around such things, the process had been long and painful but in the end, he accepted his place within Nazarik. At this point he couldn't imagine doing anything else, so fruitful had been his "education".

"First of all, do you two know about lizardmen?"

"I have read of them." Lottus replied

"I have seen them~ And killed some of them." Clementine replied, with a chuckle

"We are currently in the middle of a conflict with them. After an initial loss, we will now try something subtler, that is why I called you here. Does anyone know of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?" no one replied, but from their expression Alucard could tell that they did not

"We apologize, for our ignorance." Talia replied, speaking for all who were present

"The first one is Conquest, who rides a white horse. Second came War, on a red horse. Followed by Famine, on a black horse. Finally, came Death on a pale horse. We will be taking on those roles when we meet the lizardmen."

"Acting~? That sounds boring…" Clementine muttered, causing the deadly gazes of the Brides to fall on her

"Is that so? It takes a certain kind of subtlety to be able to act, specially under such circumstances." Alucard remarked

"Alucard-sama, if I may. This woman is clearly unbalanced." Lottus pointed out, she laughed at his statement

"I didn't bring you here to discuss such things, or to offer you a choice in the matter, I simply need you to stand there while I speak."

"Then, I will be taking the role of Conquest. Lottus you will be Famine. Clementine will be War…" Alucard stopped, still thinking of who will be the final horseman

"Nyx, what do you think?" Alucard looked back at his Bride, who had been on her feet since he began to speak

"I will do my best, Alucard-sama." she replied

"I'm sure you will." he said, with a warm smile causing her to blush slightly

"I will inform you of the plan, tomorrow. For now, you are dismissed, go back and rest I want all of you at a 100% come tomorrow."

Lottus, Clementine and his Brides left soon after, Alucard stayed for some time in the training room still thinking about how he would do things tomorrow, he wanted things to go as smooth as possible for both sides.

* * *

Some time passed and even after spending so much time in bed, Alucard couldn't help but lay on it pondering the task he had decided to take on. Soon enough he heard the door opening, sitting back up he tried to give the lock as if he hadn't been laying lazily on the bed, however he still was sitting in the middle of it. The new arrivals were Talia and Touka, Nyx was missing which Alucard couldn't help but think of as strange.

"Where's Nyx?"

"She's with Mare-sama." Touka replied, prompting Alucard to raise an eyebrow at her

"I believe she has taken a liking to Mare-sama, given his nature." Talia explained

"I see." he replied, still pondering on this "liking" thing, Nyx may look and act like a child but she was far from one

"Tomorrow should be a big day, you two should get some rest." Alucard suggested, even if the idea of them needing rest was questionable

The Brides exchanged uneasy looks as if they wanted to say something that could get them in trouble. Noticing this Alucard was unsure of what to do, it was rare to see them like this, many times they would just speak their mind knowing perfectly that what they might say may anger him.

"…Talia is worried, Alucard-sama." Touka finally spoke out, their master's gaze went to the oldest of the Brides

"You may speak freely, I will listen." he informed, in a reassuring tone

"I believe Alucard-sama is trying to hide it…but I am worried by your expression…" Talia said, pausing as if the words were painful to form

Alucard did not react, holding back the urge to put a hand up to his face in order to check it by himself, he wondered what she was talking about, he was certain his expression was normal.

"I believe she is talking about when you returned to the room to speak with those two. You did look a bit angry, there was even some glow in your eyes." Touka added

"N-Now it has subsided but it's still there…" Talia said

Now knowing of what they were mentioning Alucard was dumbfounded. Indeed, he was less than happy to know that he was still under the influence of Downfall of Castle and Country. When he spoke with Ainz, he had to hold himself back for fear of attacking him which had even caused his right hand to shake as if a nervous twitch. After that he was certain he had maintained perfect composure not letting any of his true feelings show, but it seems like even his best of efforts couldn't get pass his Brides, how did they know him so well?

"I was hoping no one would notice…" Touka quietly interrupted him

"I think it was just the two of us." that fact was somewhat reassuring

"…I also don't wish to discuss this. Tomorrow will be an important day, I don't want to be stressed going into it."

He was expecting some bow or some act of apology from them, since they did make him speak of something he had no wish to even mention. Their reaction was the same as when they entered, they exchanged uneasy looks and moved to his sides, Touka to his right and Talia to his left, had the situation been different he would be certain they were trying to corner him.

"Y-Yes…We also would like to speak about that." Talia said, with her head hung low

"About what?" Alucard asked, truly not understanding what she was referring too

"If I may. Talia believes…" Touka began to speak, when Talia interrupted her

"Don't say it like that!"

"Let her speak." their creator growled, at this point he just wanted them to get this over with

"She believes that since you have woken up, you have been under the stress of all the acts you involuntarily committed against Nazarik…" the Bride paused also lowering her head, she wasn't wrong Alucard thought

"So…So…" Touka paused once more, she raised her head looking at Talia, seeing her face Alucard found it to be red

"I can't say it! It's your idea you say it!" she roared at Talia, causing the older bride to look up as well also exposing her blushed expression

"I can't possibly say such a thing!" she argued back

At this point he was starting to be afraid of whatever they were talking about, as they threw around the responsibility to inform him on the matter, Alucard couldn't help but get less and less patient.

"One of you speak, or I walk." he announced in a low, yet intimidating tone

"T-Then…I guess, I'll say it." Talia said

"We…would like to…help…Alucard-sama with…his stress…"

The Supreme Being wanted to sink deep into the ground and away from this situation, he wasn't sure what she meant but by her expression, her blushed face, and her choice of words he was confident that he understood what she was talking about.

"Does this "help" have anything to do with Nyx not being here?"

"Y-Yes. I told her it would be fine to stay with Mare-sama till we called for her." Touka replied

"I'm going to need a clear explanation of what you two mean by helping me." his tone was still low and serious

"We know that sometimes…" Talia began, being seemingly at a loss for words she looked at Touka

"W-Warriors need help releasing their…stress, after or before a battle…" this time Touka looked at Talia, her face had gone beyond red

"Since tomorrow could be the day we end the conflict with the lizardmen…We want to make sure that Alucard-sama is…at a 100% not only physically, but mentally too." Talia finished

Alucard was unsure of what to do, should he just outright say no to them, or should he first congratulate them for their, even if awkward, subtlety compared to Shalltear. Before he could decide they acted, lifting their dresses slightly so it would be easier for them to move their legs, as they got on to the bed.

"I…" Alucard tried to protest, but was too flustered to do so

"D-Don't worry we will…" Talia tried to say

"…do everything for you. Please be at ease, Alucard-sama." Touka finished, both of them began to approach him in a shy manner

The True vampire took a deep breath, this was not the time to give in to his primal urges he was better than this. When they got to the point he could grab them and they could grab him, Alucard placed his arms on their sides and brought them closer to him wrapping each Bride in an arm pushing them against him.

"A-Alucard-sama, I…" Talia gasped, not really resisting her sudden closeness to him

"Be silent for a moment, Talia. First of all, I understand that you both care about me, and are trying to help. Not counting how that makes me feel like a worthless master…" both Brides interrupted

"That's not true, Alucard-sama." protested Touka

"That was not our intention. Please accept our absolute apologies, Alucard-sama." Talia said

"As I was saying. Not counting that, I don't want you two to have to do this because of me." they once more interrupted

"But our bodies are yours. Giving them to you is only natural, it is just another way of serving you." Touka argued, however her expression told a different story

"Is that so…Do you agree with her, Talia?" his gaze went to the older Bride

"Y-Yes…It is as Touka said." Talia replied, looking down

"You don't sound very convinced, neither of you do Touka." he turned his attention to the younger Bride

"I…" Talia mumbled, placing her hands to her mouth to silence her self

"Continue, I'm listening." Alucard said in a warm tone, looking back at her

"I can't bother Alucard-sama with my selfishness again." she pointed out, lowering her hands

"Do I have to order it out of you?"

"N-No. I had always imagined that my first time would be…because Alucard-sama wanted it to be so."

It was if Alucard had just gotten hit in the gut, he was not ready or expecting her to say this, it was nothing compared to what happened with Shalltear.

"What!? But you were the one that gave the idea!" Touka remarked, looking at her

"Because I wanted to help Alucard-sama. That goes above my personal wishes."

"You're both fools. To place my wishes in front of yours, when discussing such things…truly fools." Alucard chuckled, deep down he felt terrible

"We apologize for our unbecoming behavior, Alucard-sama." Talia said

"As long as you don't repeat this, it's fine." he said, loosening his grip on them

"You may stay here, I'm going to train to clear my mind."

Having made his intentions known, Alucard prepared to exit the bed wanting to distance himself from them as quick as possible. As he was about to leave the bed through the right side, he felt someone grip on to his coat, looking back he saw both Talia and Touka grabbing on to it.

"I've already said that we should drop this subject." he growled before looking back

Moving his head to the right so he could eye down both of them his will, that he was working so hard to maintain, was crushed and he felt his heart waver. The expressions on their faces, were so heartwarming, a mix of shyness, insecurity, and fear of his reaction, Alucard had never seen all of these emotions in one place, it was truly beautiful.

"We cannot use Alucard-sama's bed by ourselves." Touka said

"Y-Yes…We are unworthy. Please stay with us, Alucard-sama."

They were starting to be more persistent, either they were getting bolder or they had changed their minds and just wanted for him to simply lay with them. Alucard was unsure of what do, unlike Ainz his libido still existed and was in no way dampened, it was no lie when he said that he had great self-control over that part of himself.

"You wish for me to lay with you?" he asked, they simply nodded

Alucard let out a deep breath and returned to his previous position in between them, they carefully approached him and leaned into his chest, since it would be strange for him to be motionless he wrapped his arms around them once more.

* * *

Albedo walked down the hallways in the direction of Alucard's room, not that she wanted to question her beloved's decisions, but sending her to inform Alucard that they would be leaving in just a few hours instead of a maid, was not all that pleasing. Of course, serving Ainz-sama was about one of the most pleasing things she could do, but to know that she would miss be the first one to greet him when he exited his room made her heart ache. Stopping in front of the large obsidian colored door she knocked once and announced her presence and wish to enter.

"Come in." Alucard replied from the other side, in a strangely low tone

Albedo excused herself and carefully opening the door she entered, when her eyes fell upon the Supreme Being she had to do her very best not to lose her composure. Alucard still sat on his bed, by his side were his Brides who with time had ended up falling asleep and now rested against his abdomen as they laid in his bed. The Overseer felt nothing but pure envy towards the Brides, how could they, beings that stood even bellow a Guardian, share a bed with a Supreme Being before she did? Of course, this was not Ainz-sama, who stood above all Supreme Beings, but they laid with a Supreme Being which meant they were closer to her goal than she was. At least this was how Albedo was interpreting things, in truth nothing happened during this time, Alucard had remained awaken during all those hours, he simply didn't feel like sleeping and his Brides simply drifted of as the time passed.

"Albedo?" Alucard said, noticing that she seemed to have zoned out

While she stood before this great shock, Alucard calmly sat in his bed ignoring the numb feeling that covered his body from having sat for so long, his hands were busy passing through his Bride's hairs. At first, he didn't even want to do that, but seeing their peaceful faces as they began to fall asleep he couldn't help himself.

"My apologies, Alucard-sama! Ainz-sama, wanted me to tell you that we will be leaving in a few hours and that you should get ready."

"Understood. Tell him that I will be ready soon enough."

"Y-Yes, I'll tell him. Then, I will take my leave, Alucard-sama." with a bow she left, closing the door behind her

Alucard let out a sigh, his legs were numb and it was boring to have stayed so much time in one place, lifting his hands from their hair, he went to carefully caressing their cheeks.

"Wake up." he said in a low tone

The first to react was Talia, she began to move slightly before lazily opening her eyes to look up at him.

"A-Alucard-sama!" she gasped, her voice echoing through the room, as she lifted her head away from him

"My greatest apologies!..." her voice seemed to go mute when he began to pat her head

"I told you, you needed some rest."

"Don't be so loud…" Touka whined, stretching her arms and tried to wrap them around Alucard as one would do with a pillow

"Wait…Why is it so…" she mumbled, before slowly looking up till her eyes meet her master's

"My greatest apologies, Alucard-sama!" Touka gasped, distancing herself from him, so much so she fell from the bed

Alucard held in his laughter, jumping from his sitting position he landed perfectly in front of the bed, passing his hands through his trench coat trying to straighten it as best as he could, he gave his Brides some time to compose themselves.

"We are leaving in a few hours." Alucard said before pausing, the sound of his words was enough for them to completely straighten their posture

"Touka, go and get Nyx. Also warn Clementine and Lottus to get ready. I'm giving you half an hour to do this."

"Right away, Alucard-sama." taking a bow she left

"What shall I do, Alucard-sama?"

"Talia prepare the armors and equipment, I want them ready for use when Touka and Nyx arrive."

"I would join you but…" Alucard's gaze drifted to his weapon that was resting on his desk

"I want to meditate with Shi before getting ready."

"Understood. Should I prepare anything specific for this mission?"

"Prepare hidden blades for both you and Touka. For Nyx, prepare whatever scythe she is most proficient with."

"It shall be done."


	15. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Alucard watched the lizardmen village from within the woods, his was back in his black armor with his hood already in place, he had rammed Shi into the ground and the blade's shadowed seemed to move in the direction of the water and then under it. He wasn't planning to use anything too extreme but, he wanted some leverage over the lizardmen if his initial approach did not work. The vampire was awoken from his thoughts when he heard something moving through the forest, picking up his katana he turned towards the source ready to act if needed.

"A-Alucard-sama, Ainz-sama says that one hour remains till we begin." Mare announced, emerging from behind some tree, visibly frightened by seeing Alucard with his weapon at hand

"Then, I should get back." sheathing his blade, Alucard began to make his way back

* * *

It was the strange fog that caught the lizardmen's attention, the large mass emerged from the forest where it was high enough to cover some of the smaller trees. It lowered in the direction of the village, so when the fog finally reached it one could stand in it with their upper body uncovered. The fog itself seemed to be harmless, however one could only wonder what it's purpose was as its origin was obviously not natural.

"What do you think it will be now?" Zenberu asked, looking at the ominous fog

"Perhaps some sneak attack." Zaryusu replied in a monotone, also eyeing the fog

"I didn't see or hear anything moving around out there." Zenberu remarked

"Have you received any word about our missing scouts?" the Chief of the Small Fang asked, approaching them

"Missing scouts?" Crusch asked

"Yes. We sent them out about half an hour ago, and they have yet to return." he replied

"I'm sure, they would be back if the fog hadn't risen." Zaryusu said, the Chief couldn't help but silently agree

"I see something in the fog!" Zenberu announced, pointing towards the place where the fog began to lower, it would be the border between the land and water

All eyes went to where he was pointing at, soon enough all could see it from where they stood the figure could be small in size but even if that was true the aura that surrounded it was enough to compensate. As the lizardmen tried to stay calm and could only guess at the nature of the being, it slowly lifted what seemed to be a staff and brought it down. Even if some couldn't see the figure through the fog the sound of the staff hitting the ground seemed to fill the entire area.

"What's it doing?" Zaryusu mumbled

"I do not know, brother." Shasryu said

Another figure began to approach the edge of the fog, this one broke through it, revealing to the lizardmen the form of the first horsemen. A figure in black wearing a hood, he road on a beautiful white horse, in the view of the lizardmen it's pure color matched perfectly with the blood chilling presence of its rider.

"Stay calm. Everyone remain calm." Shasryu instructed his fellow lizardmen

Even if the approaching being affected him at a primal level, as if before him was predator and they were his prey, he needed to maintain his men's morale after their victory, they couldn't waver before the enemy. Luckily the horseman stopped about 30 meters from the village, there was no time to sigh in relief as the staff hit the ground once more and another figure broke through the fog.

This one they could clearly see its face, the rider was female, perhaps human, with blonde hair and light armor and she rode on a red horse. Even with the distance they couldn't help but notice what the horse was carrying on its back, the two scouts, as she got closer and closer they could see that they had been badly treated and gutted like fish. Not counting the rage, they felt from seeing their kind being treated in such a fashion, they also felt a small chill go down their backs by the girl's sadistic smirk, as if she knew what impact the bodies were having on them.

The same sound echoed through the area once more, the third figure emerged from the fog it rode on a black horse, wearing black robes with a bird like mask, something that Zaryusu could recognize from his travels. Unlike the other two, this one did not seem to be in any way unnerving, however this did not mean he was weak or to be taken lightly, that could be concluded by the fact he was accompanying the other two horsemen.

The fourth sound echoed through the area and the last horseman emerged, at the distance it looked like a miniature figure. When it got closer, the reason for this became more evident it was a child, or at least the size of one, unlike the previous rider who one could assume to be male, this one was different given the child like body. It rode on a pale and undead horse, some of its bone were already exposed and it was unnaturally skinny, the rider wore an armor similar to the first horseman. The thing that caught their attention even more was the weapon it carried, resting against the horseman's right shoulder was a large scythe that was easily double its size. The scythe was made out of some obsidian like substance, with an abnormal dark purple aura covering the blade like some hellish flame, the rest of it was also decorated with many strange carvings.

The lizardmen's attention was now fully on the four figures that stood in a line just 30 meters from the village, only some of them noticed the figure that remained in the fog vanished, but they did not speak as before them was already a living nightmare.

"Do not be afraid. Do not put an embarrassing display in front of our opponent." Zaryusu roared, in an attempt to maintain the lizardmen's morale

"What now?" Zenberu snarled, his eyes focused on the two bodies handing from the red horse

"We come in search of a fruitful negotiation." the figure with the mask spoke

"What are they? And the one in the white horse, his presence is similar to the one that was in the fog, could this be the Overlord of Death?" Crusch asked, looking at the hooded figure

"Do not make us wait. If you renounce our wish to negotiate, we will wipe this village clean of life." this was a female voice

Since the woman on the red horse did not speak, they concluded the voice came from the hooded figure holding the scythe, the voice in no way matched the body, the tone seemed to have been carefully tempered with maturity and killing intent.

"I guess we don't have another choice. Will you join me, brother?" Shasryu asked, looking at Zaryusu who replied with a nod

The two brothers shared a moment of silence, letting the tone of the situation fall on them and those around them, the older brother was the first to jump down into the fog, the younger sibling was in the process of giving his farewells to the Crusch.

"How cute~" Clementine chuckled, under her breath not really expecting anyone to listen to her

"Be silent. We will discuss those two later." Alucard hissed back in a low tone, causing her to momentarily freeze with fear

Alucard's attention went to the two lizardmen approaching them, they seemed determined it was understandable given the situation, he was actually happy to see this it meant there was still some fight left in them.

"We have arrived! I am Shasuryu Shasha, representative of the Lizardmen, and this is the greatest hero of the lizardmen!"

"I am Zaryusu Shasha!"

"Welcome, Shasha brothers. We are your very own Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who come to you in the great name, of the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarik, Ainz Ooal Gown. I am Famine, Lottus Franklin." the masked figure said

"I am Death, Nyx." the figure to his left informed

"I am Conquest, Alucard." the larger hooded figure said

"I am War, Clementine." the woman announced, with a small smirk

"You may speak now." Lottus said

The brothers exchanged a quick look, the designations these beings gave themselves were unknown to them, could these be beings specially summoned by the Overlord of Death, or should they say Ainz Ooal Gown? If that was so, why did they look so different and there seemed to be an evident gap between their powers. Why did the being who called himself Alucard share a similar presence to the one they saw in the fog and had assumed to be the enemy leader? Finally, Shasuryu decided to speak, as he opened his mouth Conquest spoke over him.

"Be careful with what you say. In case you have not understood, before you are four options that will decide your fate. So, you must choose wisely. Would you perhaps want me to explain each option to you?"

The lizardmen changed uneasy looks, after being warned to choose their words wisely they were more fearful of what might happen if they say something that could be mistaken as an insult or threat.

"If it is possible, we would like to have them explained to us." Shasryu replied

"Let's begin by the reverse order of arrival. Death will offer you oblivion, there will be no further chances to negotiate or surrender, also it won't give you a fair fight it will be a true massacre." Alucard paused

"Famine, will grant you a slow end. We will begin by cutting off all your food sources or escape routes. The lake will freeze, the land will grow stale, animals will die out. With time your rations will run out, sacrifices will have to be made and perhaps then you will decide to surrender, and then we will consider listening to your pleas."

"War, will be an endless loop of your last battle, it will be your forces against the forces of Nazarik, till one side finally loses."

"Conquest, will ask for a small sacrifice in the place of maintaining the life of all the others. If the sacrifice is made and the others do not accept our terms, it will be out of my hands then."

"What will happen if we surrender?" Zaryusu asked, it wasn't one of the options but he still saw fit to ask

"That was not one of your options~" Clementine pointed out

"Indeed. Even if we would be more than pleased to see you surrender and freely kneel before us…The fact that you did defeat us in battle, is troubling. Not many can say they have defeated the forces of Nazarik, that is why we are offering you so many options to begin with." Alucard said

"Can we have some time, to discuss this?" the older lizardman asked

"My apologies…" Alucard said, with a weak chuckle

All eyes went to him, the lizardmen did not expect him to react like this and the others were shocked by the fact that a Supreme Being had uttered such words in front of mere mortals.

"Truly, it seems like you do not understand the unique nature of the situation. Should I make it clearer for you?"

The hooded figure raised his head so the lizardmen could look upon his eyes, a cold air seemed to run pass them at that moment, the horses began to become agitated as the rider's eyes began to glow with unfiltered killing intent.

"Our apologies! We did not mean to offend, we will give you an answer right away." Shasryu blurted out

The air and horses became calm again, Alucard lowered his head as the glow in his eyes disappeared. The two brothers looked at each other for just a second before nodding their heads in decisive fashion and looking back at the horsemen with their answers.

"Conquest." they announced

"Predictable." Lottus mumbled

"You are no fun~" Clementine remarked, frowning

"A good choice. Within four hours, one of our warriors will come to your village, make sure to have your sacrifices chosen. And do make sure you don't make things too easy for him. He is called Cocytus."

The white horse turned around and began to walk away, behind it went the black and pale horses, the red horse was the last to turn around and as it did the rider motioned it to stop.

"I almost forgot~ These are yours~" Clementine chuckled, before dropping the two bodies from her horse

As the two lizardmen watched the horsemen walk away and the others who watched from the village, they did not notice the several shadows that moved from the village to under the white horse, such movements being hidden by the fog.

* * *

The group arrived at the clearing that lead to the fortress that Aura was building, and for now worked as their main base, getting down from their horses they were greeted by Aura, two of Shalltear's brides, Talia and Touka.

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." they said, in unison

"You two, help Lottus put the horses away." Alucard ordered Shalltear's brides

"As you wish." they bowed and went to aid the Lich

"Good work out there, Nyx." he said, turning to face the youngest of his Brides who stood next to him still holding on to the oversized scythe

"T-Thank you, Alucard-sama." she said looking up at him

"You are dismissed for the time being, go inside." he informed patting her on the head, and signaling Touka and Talia to follow her inside

"Why are you here, Aura?"

"Ainz-sama, wanted me to tell you to go meet him as soon as possible." she replied

"I'll go see him soon enough. I just have something to do before that, please go ahead without me."

Aura bowed and left, leaving Alucard alone with Clementine, he calmly removed his hood before looking at the woman, his gaze piercing through her.

"Would you like to explain to me what happened?"

"I ran into them, Alucard-sama~ It is not my fault." Clementine explained, looking truly apologetic

"I decide to leave you alone for just a few minutes and this is what happens!? And how does "ran into them" end with you placing their mutilated bodies on your horse!?" Alucard hissed, starting to walk towards her

"Spur of the moment…" she said with a nervous laugh

As if with a single step, Alucard was now in front of her the sudden motion causing Clementine to fall back on to the ground, her instincts told her to get back up or even crawl away, but she knew it was pointless and would only make things worse.

"It seems I have been too lenient. But I have no time to deal with this now."

[Touka come to my location.] Alucard said, via his earpiece

"Then…" Clementine mumbled, part of her hoping that he would let this pass

"For going against my orders right before an important mission, you will be properly punished."

Soon after Touka emerged from inside the building, walking up to her master's right side.

"How can I be of service, Alucard-sama?"

"Teach her what happens to those who put the mission in jeopardy."

"It will be a pleasure." Touka said with a bow, hiding her smirk under her hood

"I have to go meet Ainz. Make sure you don't kill her."

Alucard took his leave, leaving the two women alone, before Touka Clementine staggered back to her feet, it wasn't like she wasn't afraid of the Bride but compared to Alucard she was nothing in her eyes.

"Come on~ Do you best~" the human chuckled

"Defiant, are we?" Touka hissed, Clementine chuckled before replying

"No~ I just trying to motivate you~ After having experience Alucard-sama's power, I'm sure that I will find you~ Lacking."

* * *

Alucard walked through the hallways on his way to the chamber Ainz was waiting, approaching the door that lead to that room he couldn't help but note a damaged wall, damage that he could tell wasn't made by accident. Opening and walking through the door he couldn't help but point this out.

"Who took down the…" Alucard began to say, his voice drifting when he saw the scene going on before him

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." the Guardian's greeted, but he didn't hear them

Ainz was currently sitting on top of Shalltear, Alucard's mind went blank as he tried to think of what he should say, of course the fact that the female vampire was obviously enjoying herself also did not help him take in the situation.

"A-Am I in the middle of something?"

"Not at all, Alucard-san. We just got finished discussing how we should go about with interacting with the surrounding countries." Ainz replied

"And the wall, is my fault. I clumsily walked into it." Albedo informed

"I see. And Shalltear…" Ainz quickly spoke over him

"That…This is her punishment. Speaking of which I think we should also deliver yours now."

The ruler of Nazarik got up from his seat, motioning Shalltear to rise he made his way around her and to the throne that was till now empty, sitting on it he found it to be surprisingly comfortable, of course it was nothing compared to his usual throne or even Shalltear's back.

"Considering how you said that Shalltear's mistake was caused by your own. For failing to properly support your subordinate, you shall now literally support her. What I'm saying is, Alucard-san you will now be Shalltear's chair, please place yourself in the same position she was in."

Alucard did as he was told, he got on his knees with his hands on the floor and waited for Shalltear to take her seat, the female Guardian shyly approached him stopping in front of him looking back at Ainz for approval, after receiving it she sat down. The male vampire shifted slightly trying to make it more comfortable for her, feeling the strange heat coming off from her he could only imagine what face she must be making.

"A-Alucard-sama…Am I too heavy?" she asked

"Not at all. Just worry about making yourself comfortable." he replied, once she heard this Alucard couldn't help but notice the heat rising

"Alucard-san, how do you think the mission went?"

"I would say it was a success. They chose the option that would lead to less deaths, just like I expected. Now we just have to wait for their battle with Cocytus." Alucard replied

"Still, do you believe they will be receptive to our rule?" Ainz enquired, moving in his seat

"They should. After the initial battles, they took some significant losses, and they seem to understand what they are up against. That being said they know that in the long run victory won't be theirs."

"If that's the case, we just have to wait for the battle."


	16. Leaving

The battle between Cocytus and the lizardmen had begun just a few minutes ago, while Ainz and most of the Guardians remained in the throne room to watch it, Alucard requested to go see it in person. Permission was granted, but since he was still acting as Shalltear's chair he had to carry the female vampire on his back if he wished to go out. As Alucard walked out of the building, his Brides noticing him passing by the room they were staying in, decided to follow. Stepping outside of the building Alucard jumped his way to the roof where he was certain he should be able to see the fight, he was right even if the fighters seemed to be minuscule in size he could see them.

"W-Why did we come here, Alucard-sama?" Shalltear asked shyly, given the fact he was still holding her

The Supreme Being did not reply, given the fact he wasn't wearing his hood she could see the look in his eyes, they were devoid of any expression like he was completely lost in thought. This was the first time she had seen him like this, if she hadn't known better she would have thought he was a lifeless statue.

"Is something wrong, Alucard-sama?" Talia asked, the Brides were standing behind them in a line

"Shalltear, I'm going to drop you." he said in a monotone

"Y-Yes." she replied, landing on her feet when he let go of her

Alucard walked up to the edge of the roof and looked down, he then began to examine the landscape around him as if looking for something. He then removed his right hand gauntlet exposing the three rings that he was using, Alucard proceeded to remove the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, walking up to Talia and presented her with the ring.

"Take it."

"I…I-I'm unworthy of such a valuable item, Alucard-sama." she gasped

"I simply wish for you to keep it while I'm gone."

It was as if time had stopped, Talia's eyes grew wide as did for the rest of the vampires present, why did he say this, they had heard nothing about this.

"What do you mean "gone"?" she asked

"I'm going to leave of a while…and I don't know when I'll be coming back. So, will you keep this safe for me?"

"Y-Yes, Alucard-sama." she lowered her head, and lifted her right hand where he dropped the ring into

Alucard placed his gauntlet back on and began to walk towards one of the edges of the roof, leaving behind only silence, approaching the edge he meet resistance in the form of his Brides who were now without their hoods.

"Alucard-sama…" Talia tried to say, her efforts seemed to be more focused on holding back her tears

"I-Is this another one of your "business trips"?" Touka asked

Alucard raised an eyebrow at her, that term was what he used to tell his fellow guild members when he was going to be away for a while because of his job. The thing about Alucard was that, in terms of being a member of the guild he wasn't all that active because his job would not allow it, but when he was present he would do his best to make up for his absence. He wasn't sure how she knew about his trips, most likely they had heard him speak with someone else just before he went off to work.

"N-No…" he replied

"Then was it us? Do you find us lacking? If that is the case allow us to fix it." Talia spat, tears already rolling down her cheeks

"Nonsense. The one who is lacking is me."

"How can that be? For a Supreme Being, to be in any way lacking?" Shalltear asked, approaching Alucard

"After what happened here today, I have come to the conclusion that I have no true experience with this world. Outside of the time we spent hunting martial arts users, I have done nothing more when it comes to learn about this world. All the while Ainz is playing the role of and adventurer…" Alucard paused, letting out a low hiss

"That is why I'm leaving for the time being, in order to be able to properly experience this world."

Alucard had turned his head to look at Shalltear, so he was not able to react when something hit him from the front and threw him into the floor. Looking up he saw Nyx clinging on to him, she had been the one to tackle him down, and somehow even with her smaller frame she had managed to grab on to him in a way that would force him to pry her from him.

"Nyx, please you are showing your unbecoming side to Alucard-sama." Talia said, approaching them in order to pick her up

"No! I don't want Alucard-sama to leave." she cried out, tears falling from her face and onto him

Talia seemed to stagger back at the sound of those words, as they were the same that she and Touka were thinking of but did not say.

"N-Nyx, I'm not leaving forever, I'll come back. Either way, you still have Ainz…" Alucard tried to reassure her, but she spoke over him

"I don't care, about Ainz-sama. I want to be with Otō-san!" she shouted, weakly dropping her clenched fists on Alucard's chest

Such statement to be ever uttered in Nazarik, it could only be described as blasphemy, for such words the best-case scenario would be immediate death. Alucard was worried about that, but his heart was focused on her second statement, he had programmed into her the usage of certain Japanese words because at the time he thought it would be cute when mixed with her child like appearance. It took him a moment to remember what "Otō-san" meant, when the realization finally came to him, at first he wanted to laugh since he had never expected someone to call him that. Second, he saw how truly selfish he was being, of course he knew that his actions were selfish from the start, but having Nyx tell him this only made him understand this more. Perhaps it was his wish to get away from this boredom that clouded his judgement, seeing this now it became obvious that this would be their reactions, even so for it to be so extreme was even beyond what he expected.

"Such words…" Shalltear mumbled, emitting a small hint of hostility towards Nyx

"…I'll ignore them…for Alucard-sama." she hissed

"You spent so much time with Shalltear-sama…You just woke up…you can't leave now…" Nyx continued weakly hitting him with her fists

"N-Nyx please cease your ramblings. Don't make it more difficult than it already is." Talia sobbed, approaching the younger Bride

The young Bride looked at her sister, then back at her creator lowering her head as if in a deep bow, she removed herself from on top of Alucard and went back to Touka's side. Alucard slowly made his way back to his feet, it wasn't because he was tiered or her blows had hurt him, at least not physically, mentally he was stunned.

"W-We don't want to delay you further…" Talia announced, cleaning her tears

"Keep your earpieces nearby, since I will be wearing my Ring of Incognito you will need them to communicate with me. Till I get back you will be in charge, as usual." Alucard said

"Can we go with you!? For Alucard-sama to go alone without protection, is too high of a risk." Touka pointed out

"That is why, I'm going alone so no one will be at risk. And Nazarik has greater need for you at the moment."

Alucard walked towards Nyx, he looked down at the smaller vampire placed his hand on her head and kneeled before her.

"Do not worry. I'll be back and after that I'll surely stay with you."

Getting back up he placed his hood on, took a deep breath and jumped to the forest bellow, his plan was to begin running as soon as he hit the ground but he was confronted by someone else, Clementine.

"I did not expect to see you here." he stated

"Like wise~ It sounded like a very emotional farewell, Alucard-sama~" she chuckled

"Unless you have something to discuss with me, before I leave. I suggest you go back, Clementine."

"It would be so boring if you left, Alucard-sama~ Perhaps you should reconsider leaving~" she suggested

"If you find things boring, they can always find something for you to do. That has nothing to do with me."

Alucard was expecting this to perhaps cause her to step back, however she placed both hands behind her back, leaned forwards and gave him a mischievous smirk.

"They? But aren't you one of them, Alucard-sama~?" the vampire was silent, so she continued

"I apologize for perhaps speaking out of place~ But do you feel like you don't belong in Nazarik~?" her smile widened

She took timid steps towards him, when she got close his left arm reached out and his hand wrapped around her throat, with one swift motion he lifted her from the ground and pulled the woman towards him so their eyes would meet.

"Did Touka, not "reprimand" you properly?" he hissed

Again, her reaction was not what he was expecting, instead of horror or fear at the rage that he was showing, she gave him a lustful smile and went even further by placing her hands on the one that was wrapped around her throat, then tried to tighten it further.

"She…is lacking…I want…Alucard-sama's…punishment~" she said, in between gasps for air

What was going on with her? Was the question that filled Alucard's mind, this was completely unexpected, he knew she liked to torture her victims, but for her to like being tortured herself was baffling. The fact that this was the first time seeing her act like this was also what caused such great a shock, was she always like this, or did something snap during her time at Nazarik?

"You wish to be punished?" he growled in a low tone

"Y-Yes~" she mumbled, while still on her knees

"Is that why you want me to stay? So you can indulge in your many fetishes?"

"Yes! No one else in Nazarik sees worth in me~ Alucard-sama is the only one who makes any use of me."

To see her on her knees practically begging for him to stay and punish her, was truly a pitiful sight, but even so there was something about such expression that was beautiful. Alucard didn't think much about this, he didn't want to give that much thought, the fact that such expression was having that kind of effect on him was already troublesome enough.

"If punishment is what you want…I guess I'll be on my way, we can't have you getting what you want now can we?" Alucard laughed, turning his attention back to the forest

Clementine was silent has the vampire turned into a blur and vanished, she fell back into the ground her arms stretched to the side as she let out an audible sigh.

"Thought he would react to me saying such things~… At least if he was pissed off by that, he would stay for a little while longer…" she whined, her voice echoing through the nearby area

"…it's really going to get boring without him…" she now mumbled

"You say the much unsightly things." a male voice said

Clementine looked to the side and from the trees emerged Lottus, he had his arms crossed behind his back and was looking down at her.

"I thought it would work~" she remarked

"Such a thing won't work on Alucard-sama. Thinking otherwise, only shows how someone of your caliber can't truly understand someone like him." Lottus stated, causing the woman to sit and give him a sadistic grin

"Is that so~? I think you've got it wrong~ Someone as "balanced" as you are, can never hope to understand him~ Believe what you will, but I know that Alucard-sama has more in common with me than you think~"

"Preposterous." Clementine jumped back to her feet and continued to grin

"So, you say~ But just you wait~ Because I now when the time comes it will be, beautiful."

* * *

"What do you mean he left?" Ainz asked Shalltear

Shalltear stood before the ruler of Nazarik with her head bowed, to her right were the other Guardians all standing in a line and by the door were the three Brides kneeling.

"Alucard-sama said that he wished to experience the world, much like Ainz-sama does by being an adventurer." the female Guardian replied

"And you let him go alone!? One of the remaining Supreme Beings, and you let him go without any type of bodyguards?" Albedo reprimanded

"It was his wish…" Shalltear tried to explain, but the Overseer didn't take it

"Even so, do you know whose fault it will be if anything happens to him? Do you understand the pain it will cause to Nazarik, to Ainz-sama!?" she hissed

"That's enough, Albedo." Ainz said, raising his hand

"My apologies, Ainz-sama."

"Talia, is he wearing his Ring of Incognito?" he asked, looking at the Bride

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

Then he didn't want to be contacted or located, if he was wearing his Ring of Bound it certainly would be possible to find him.

"What about his two other rings?"

"He is wearing his Ring of Bound. The ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, I was told to guard it for him." Talia lifted and opened his right hand revealing the ring

"Then if necessary we can use the Ring of Bound to locate him correct?" Ainz asked

"Theoretically." Talia replied

"What kind of answer is that?" Albedo hissed

"I believe Alucard-sama does not wish to be found. If I am correct, if we try to locate him and he notices it, he will disappear."

"is that so…Fine, we will let Alucard-san be for the time being. However, if he is needed we will have to bring him back."

"Understood." Talia replied

"You three are dismissed."

The Brides got up, gave him one more bow and left, it was only after they had distanced themselves from the room did they start to speak.

"You're lucky Shalltear didn't say a thing." Touka said, looking at Nyx

"I'm sorry." Nyx pouted

"It's fine." Talia reassured, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder

"What do we do now?" Touka asked

"We do as Alucard-sama said." the older Bride replied

"Boring! I wanted to go with him." Touka said

"We can't. But we can wait for him, just like we did before."

"But Alucard-sama became so nice, after the other Supreme Being disappeared. I want him to return." Nyx pointed out

"True that." Touka added, Talia had a small love filled smile before she spoke

"Yes. Let's do our best so he can shower us with such kindness when he returns."

* * *

Alucard didn't stop running for the rest of the day, not even when night fell he wanted to run till he couldn't take it anymore. He was absolutely livid, so much so that when the day began to darken the glow from his eyes would lighten his path. This anger was directed at everything, at himself for making such a selfish decision and being stubborn enough not to go back on it, even with the sight of his Brides crying for him to stay and Nyx renouncing Ainz. He told himself that his punishment hadn't affected him, after all he had asked for it, but in truth he was lying when he said that having to be a chair was not humiliating, above that what was Ainz thinking when he had Shalltear be his chair? The overall boredom also angered him greatly, it made him want to rip something apart, perhaps that also came from the fact that he hadn't had any blood in a while. Above all that, the fact that he was still influenced by the World Item and that, that placed him in Ainz hand was the real trigger for his rage, the feeling of being trapped was not a pleasant one.

The vampire stopped at the entrance to a cave, he had subconsciously made his way here, while his mind boiled over his anger and frustration, his instincts had taken him to what could be his next meal and at this point he wasn't in the mood to fight his vampire instincts. The entrance was large and the distinct smell of death and rotting flesh came from inside, normally Alucard would have considered it a foul smell but in the moment, it almost made his mouth water with anticipation. The sound of something massive moving in his direction made his excitement grow, for the first time in a while he felt his heart race, the glow in his eyes now was so bright it seemed to be permanent. The snout of the reptilian beast that had come to meet him emerged from the darkness, Alucard slowly drew his katana letting the blade bathe in the moon light, letting out a predatory growl both beasts charged.


	17. Vampire Savior

Saying that he was surrounded by death would have been the same as comparing an ant to a tree, such was the massacre that surrounded him. Alucard woke up in pure darkness, at first even for a vampire the shock of wakening in such a state stunned him, his body felt restricted by something. It wasn't his armor, as he could tell he wasn't wearing it, to be more precise he was naked, when his vision returned to him Alucard looked at his body and even by the smell he could tell that his body was covered in gore. However, he was strangely calm, he looked up to see where he was, his current location seemed to be a cave he then looked at the place where there seemed to have been a collapse.

Finally, his mind went to the biggest question at the moment, what had he done during the night? What had he killed? His memories only went to the point he was standing in front of the cave and a beast came to meet him, Alucard was certain they fought but after that his mind was a blank. The vampire's keen gaze went to the ground, scattered all over him were the pieces of several creatures similar to the one he remembered meeting, however these seemed to have been smaller, that was he thought as in truth all he could see was blood, flesh and body parts.

What Alucard did not remember was that, the initial creature that he had fought was a creature named Rhedosaurus, a four-legged reptilian beast standing from 10 to 16 feet tall, 33 meters in length and venomous bite, that normally live in. Such a creature was a problem even to the strongest of warriors because of its thick hide and abnormal strength. Alucard had fought against a female of the species and killed it in two blows, he had then charged into the cave where 50 of the female's children resided, in one last act of sanity Alucard used Shi to collapse the entrance to the cave behind him, from there till now his True Vampire nature took over.

Alucard was uncertain of what had happened, two things were certain his hunger was gone and his anger had subsided greatly, so much so he was now concerned with properly cleaning himself. Staggering to the place his armor and weapon were, he picked up Shi and directed his attention to the collapsed entrance, in order to free himself he would have to create a very precise attack in order to prevent the cavern from collapsing. Placing his armor into his inventory, Alucard prepared himself to run in case the cavern decided to collapse.

"Shi. Tsunami!"

If one was to describe this attack, while Cyclone could be said to be several sword strikes at the same time, Tsunami would the initial charge of an army. Like a great mass of wind the invisible force tackled the great pile of rocks into oblivion. Not seeing any signs of collapse, or wishing to see any, Alucard rushed out of the cave and into the blinding light of the Sun, the sudden change once more momentarily blinded him. Regaining his vision, Alucard looked down he nodded silently as he confirmed that in fact he was naked and covered in gone, he would need to wash up somewhere, having a plan in mind he went in search of a proper place to clean himself.

Alucard managed to find a calm stream of water near a waterfall, placing his armor and weapon near the shore not wanting to risk getting them wet, he jumped into the water also taking this time to relax. He found the most troublesome part to be removing pieces of flesh from his hair, it got so annoying he was almost pondering on just cutting it but being unsure if it would even grow back he was limited to just remove piece by piece. In an hour he was fully cleaned and dried, placing his equipment back on Alucard began to run through the jungle once more.

* * *

He was passing by a road when the sounds of screaming caught his attention, remaining on the tree branches Alucard silently went in the direction of the road, arriving at a spot where he had a clear view over the road he found the source of the screams. In a small clearing by the road was a turned over carriage, some of the horses were dead while others must have escaped, there were about 4 bodies scattered around from what he concluded to be bodyguards. There were 2 people on horses, from there equipment that seemed to be made from several types of armor Alucard assumed they must be some kind of scavengers, there was a 3rd individual he wasn't on a horse and he was the one causing the screams. He was in the process of trying to force himself on a young girl wearing an expensive looking dress, with red hair.

The sight made Alucard's skin crawl, truly this world was full of human shaped beasts, he placed his thumb over his index finger and pressured it down causing a cracking sound in response, followed by jumping into the middle of the road in no way hiding his presence from the trio. The two individuals on horses turned around at the sound of his landing, seeing their faces Alucard found them to be female with hair cut short and twins, the man who was assaulting the girl also turned around he was bald with the exception of a braided ponytail, the vampire also noted the golden plates around their necks

"What do you want?" the women on the horse to his left growled

"Your heads." the hooded figure replied, prompting a round of laughter from the trio

"Are you blind? Look at this." the one to his right hissed, motioning to her plate

"We are Golden ranked adventurers! Small fry like you, has no right to waste our time." she continued

"Girls, take care of him. Have some fun with him if you want to, I'll be over here with the girl." the man shouted

"Sure thing, boss." they replied

The women dropped down to the floor and began to make their way towards Alucard, the one to his left was armed with a whip and the one to his right had a crossbow, it was a strange combination but the vampire could understand that the whip could be used to restrain a target to make it easier to hit with a crossbow.

"Your names?" Alucard asked, his right hand going to the hilt of his blade

"Why should we tell you?" the sister to his left hissed, the other simply laughed

"I believe it is common curtesy for warriors to exchange names before a fight. Especially when one of the sides will end up dead." the hooded figure slowly drew his Katana

"Alright though guy, I'll play your game. I'm Ilda." the one to the left said

"I'm Ellen."

"Alucard."

The vampire took his stance, even before these new opponents he kept an eye on the male adventurer, should he just bypass the sisters and go straight for him or take them out first? Either way the girl would be at risk, even so he couldn't waste his time on these two while the pig had his way with her, Alucard tensed his legs and charged, in the eyes of the two sisters he simply vanished.

"Dodge!" Ilda shouted, looking back at her male comrade

The man threw himself to the right, this decision being made by instinct, avoiding getting beheaded but since he wasn't fast enough to fully escape the vampire, he lost his left arm. A cry of pain filled the air, as the human placed his hand on the stump using his feet to push himself away from the hooded vampire. Strangely enough the vampire did not finish the job, he placed the girl under his left arm and jumped away from his wounded prey.

"You bastard!" Ellen shouted, firing a barrage of arrows at Alucard

Alucard once more vanished from sight avoiding the incoming attack, silence fell for a few moments, the sound of something hitting the ground caught Ellen's attention causing her to turn in the direction of her sister. Her eyes went wide and her skin paled, where Ilda used to be was now a headless body looking around she found the head just a few feet from the body.

"Where are you!?" she shouted hysterically

"Calm…down…this is what he wants." the man pointed out, staggering towards her

"Easy for you to say, Maul! You only lost your arm!" Ellen hissed out, causing the man to slap her

"Watch your tongue, whore."

"Now, now, there is no need to turn on each other." the familiar voice of their foe echoed through the air

The two adventurers looked at the sound of the voice, there stood the hooded figure with the young girl still under his arm, once more Ellen fired a barrage of bolts at him this time they hit, not only that but they went clean through the figure. A slight shade of hope decorated their faces, it soon turned to horror when they understood that the only thing they had hit was an afterimage.

"Too slow." Alucard hissed emerging behind Ellen, before cutting her down

"You, dumb whore." Maul growled

Alucard then turned his attention to the one armed human, the man had just seen his comrades die and he still had time to insult them, truly this was a pig of the worst kind, a small glow could be seen in Alucard's eyes as he spoke.

"Bowel in or bowels out?" he asked, with a sadistic purr

"You sick cunt, don't count me out just yet!" Maul roared, unsheathing his broadsword

The man unleashed a desperate cry and charged at the vampire, not having his other arm he had to use the blade's momentum to attack, from his charge he brought his blade up but his foe dodged, he then brought it back down just to have the katana block it. In a single motion Alucard blocked the sword and spun clockwise so his back was now to Maul, the human let out another agony filled cry, dropping his blade his hand went to his sliced gut.

"I guess bowels out it is."

Before Maul could let out another insult, Alucard spun back to face him, finally beheading the man with his blade. Distancing himself from the massacre, Alucard placed the girl back down, he wasn't surprised when she took a few steps away from him fear clear in her face, calmly sheathing his blade he kneeled in front of the girl.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that. I have no wish to harm you." slowly he placed his katana on the floor, the last thing he wanted to do was to further traumatize the child

"I-I know." she replied

"May I ask what happened?"

"We were making our way back to my father's house when they attacked, and the man he wanted to…" the girl replied, her face painted with horror and disgust

"I understand. Please don't say more than you feel comfortable with."

"C-Can you help me…I am the only one left!"

Alucard looked at the girl, she seemed to be about 16 years old, not that age mattered but given the situation she was calmer than he expected such an innocent looking girl to be. When it came to helping her, at the moment he saw no other way to get her home as from what he had seen no one else was left alive.

"You wish for me to take you home?"

"Y-Yes! My name is Alexa Victoria, my father is a well-known and wealthy merchant you will be well compensated if you take me back." even if still shaken from the traumatic situation her voice had a respectable maturity to it

"I am Alucard." the vampire got back to his feet before speaking again

"Where should I take you?"

"To the Kingdom, I can show you the way." the fact she knew the way surprised him

"I hope you don't mind going back on just one horse, I don't have any experience with carriages." Alucard said, walking away from her and in the direction of the horses

"Of course not! I'm grateful as long as I can get to go home." Alexa replied, going after him

There was a reason Alucard chose to use a horse, in his mind it would be easier for her to be carried by horse instead of him carrying her back home on his shoulder's even if it would be faster, after all Alucard was in no particular rush. From the horses present, Alucard chose the one that Ilda used since he was certain they hadn't been injured which wasn't the case with the remaining horses of the carriage, removing all the unnecessary equipment from the animal, Alexa then sat behind him placing her arms around his waist to make sure she wouldn't fall off.

"Are you ready?" he asked in a calm manner

"Y-Yes."

* * *

During the rest of the day they only stopped from time to time when the girl requested it, when night came Alucard heard the noise familiarly connected to hunger, his head turned to the side to look at the girl who hid her face from him.

"H-How unbecoming of me." she chuckled

"Are you hungry?"

"Y-Yes."

Alucard stopped the horse in his tracks and looked around, night had fallen and it would be dangerous to set up camp while keeping his eyes on Alexa, luckily, he saw a source of light not too far ahead.

"Can you hold for a few more minutes?" the girl simply nodded

Making his way to the source of light, Alucard saw a large two story building and a barn, the building reminded him of a motel from his world, the base floor seemed to have a bar from the sound and smell he could sense even at a distance, and the other floor had several windows which should be rooms.

Placing the horse near the barn and taking out a small bag of coins that used to belong to Ilda, Alucard jumped down from it and picked up the girl before placing her on the ground, his attention then went to the bar where he assumed the owner would be, placing his hand on the girls back he began to walk.

"H-Hey. Stop pushing."

"I'm not pushing. I need you to walk at the same pace as me and stay close. I don't know what kind of people are here so we have to be careful." he replied, and Alexa seemed to understand his worries

First thing Alucard had to do when he opened the entrance door, was pull Alexa back in order to avoid a drunk man who had been thrown into the wall next to them. The vampire made his way to the counter, keeping Alexa near him at all times and waited for someone to come and meet them. After a short wait, an older woman appeared to greet them, she had a hardened expression which told Alucard she was more than ready to deal with unruly costumers.

"What can I do for you?" she asked

"We need a room and a shelter for our horse. We also need a meal delivered to the room" the woman raised an eyebrow at him

"You two are traveling alone at this time of day?" she eyed Alexa and then Alucard

"Yes. The rest of our group got killed and carriage destroyed, only I remained to take her to her destination." the woman's expression change immediately to a more understand one

"That will be 7 bronze coins." Alucard placed the coins on the counter

"Wait by your horse, someone will go meet you."

Alucard gave her a nod and turned around to leave, as he did so he ended up bumping into a man and spilling his drink as a result. The man, who already looked inebriated, moved his eyes to Alucard and then to Alexa, his lips curling into a large grin at the sight of her.

"My apologies." Alucard said, getting the attention of the man back on him

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's fine, as long as you pay for it." the man said, placing an understanding hand on Alucard's left shoulder

"Of course." Alucard reached for the bag of coins

"No. No. No. I've already drank enough. I now want to get something else wet, if you get what I mean." the man informed, with a perverted smirk and a laugh, his words causing the 5 people in a table next to them to laugh in reply

Alucard also laughed, pushing the man's hand aside with a friendly gesture, he picked up Alexa who by now was ready to start kicking and clawing at both men, and placed her on the counter then motioning her to go behind it.

"I do understand." he told the man

His open palm hit the man in the chest, sending him flying across the bar, like he expected the 5 others who were on the table came after him, armed with broken bottles and knifes. Alucard felt like he had hit rock bottom, reducing himself to an ordinary bar fight, however it was a way to not go rusty. One tried to attack him with a knife going for a straight jab, taking a step to the right he avoided the attack and brought his right elbow to the man's chin. Two men came at him with broken bottles, Alucard dodged the first man and hit the second in the face with his palm causing the distinct sound of bone breaking to echo through the air. The one that remained with a bottle tried to attack him from behind but he received at spinning kick, the last two attacked him with knives, one got a punch to the throat while the other got his ribcage pushed in with palm strike.

"Let's go, Alexa." picking up the girl from behind the counter they left through the door

"That was incredible, Sir Alucard." was the first thing Alexa said when they arrived near their horse, Alucard chuckled before he replied

"You think so? I believe my lack of practice is starting to show."

"Impossible. You were as good as my grandfather." Alucard raised an eyebrow at this

"Your grandfather?"

"Yes. He used to belong to a special team, and he fought just like you did, even when he became old none of our guards could beat him." she replied enthusiastically

The girl must be jumping to conclusions, he hadn't done anything that special for her to be praising him that much, but this had gotten his interest, then Alexa spoke again.

"Did you belong to a special team as well, Sir Alucard?"

"I did. And just call me Alucard." the vampire replied with a nostalgic smile

"Then can you tell me stories? My grandfather used to tell me all his stories."

"Perhaps later." Alucard replied, seeing a young man making his way towards them

"I'm here to give you the room keys and take your horse, sir." the boy announced

"Thank you."

Alucard motioned Alexa to walk and they passed by the young man, as they did so Alucard stopped and whispered to the boy.

"Something happens to the horse, or something disappears I will blame you. Someone tries to enter our room without a valid reason I will blame them and you." the menacing tone of the hooded figures voice sent a chill down the young man's back

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Good."

Alucard and Alexa went to their room, inside was a single bed that could possibly accommodate two people if they were of small frame, such was not the case with Alucard.

"Take the bed. I'll take the chair."

"O-Ok." she replied, immediately running to the bed

The vampire sat on a chair that was on the corner of the room formed by the wall with the entrance and the one to its left, he knew he would have to spend all night up as he in no way trusted the people who were sharing this place with him. A knock at the door forced him to get up, the one to disturb them was the young man in his hand was a tray with Alexa's meal, taking it from the boy's hand he closed the door and placed it on the bed for her to eat.

"What is this?" she asked, looking at the food in her plate

Indeed, it looked less than pleasing, but that was the type of food one who travels from place to place and has to stay in such places is accustomed to, it would only be natural for a rich girl like her to not be used to eating this.

"I'm sure it tastes a lot better than it looks."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"No. I can remain without food for long periods of time." the girl's eyes began to shine, her excitement reinvigorated

"Are you going to tell me a story now?"

"Fine. I used to work with a team of 10 men, we called ourselves Black Hounds."

"What did you do?"

"We…We helped people." Alucard replied, in a strange tone as if what he was saying wasn't the truth, but the girl didn't seem to understand this

"Like you did with me?"

"Exactly."

"Then can you tell me a story about them?"

Jack Briefs, aka Black Hound, was part of a special top secret USA intervention team, they would do all the work others weren't skilled enough to do or the jobs that normally would dishonor any other soldier. These were the reasons for his "business trips", he played YGGDRASIL as a way to relax after his mission, he was paid well which allowed him to live an easy life, so he could use all his time to focus on his duties and the game. Now he had no idea of what to tell this girl as most of his stories weren't really child friendly, but if she was comparing him to her grandfather maybe he could tell her one of his earlier missions, since those were easier to explain and describe.

"Alright. I'll tell you about my very first mission."

* * *

Alexa only made it through the first half as sleep took over her, in the end she hadn't eaten anything but Alucard did not worry too much about this, tomorrow morning he could get her something else, and if she didn't like that either he could hunt and cook something himself.

[Alucard-sama.] came a very familiar voice from his earpiece

[Talia?] he asked

[Y-Yes.]

[Why are you calling, is something wrong?] he hoped this wasn't the case, as he was in the middle of helping Alexa

[Please be at ease, Alucard-sama nothing has happened.]

[Then why are you calling?]

[I…We wanted to know how our master was doing.] she replied shyly

[Is that so? I guess after the way I left it makes sense for you to worry.] he paused

[I'm currently taking a human girl back home.]

[But why Alucard-sama? Why does a Supreme Being need to bother himself with such things?]

[Why indeed. I found her being attacked by some trash, I saved her and now am I taking her home. While I do this, I'll get to see more of the world. Speaking of which do you know where Sebas is staying?]

[My apologies, I do not. But I can find his location given enough time.]

[There is no need to rush things, but if you could find it for me I would be grateful.]

[Please, Alucard-sama, there is no need for gratitude. We are here to serve you.]

[How was your day?] Alucard could hear the audible gasp from the other side

[I'm certain it would only bore you, Alucard-sama.]

[Even so, I'm going to have to spend the night awake. If I had some help it would be appreciated. Also, if either Touka or Nyx wish to speak with me, tell them that I am available.]

[Y-Yes, I'll tell them right away.] a smile formed in Alucard's face as he leaned back on the chair


	18. Old Nemesis

Alexa woke up in the middle of the night, as one thing outside her still present hunger was bothering her, of course the entire incident with the attack by the adventurers was traumatizing but that was already over. However, what was still on her mind was the unnatural glow that came from her protector's eyes, it made her skin crawl just by thinking of it, rolling in bed in the direction Alucard was sitting she was actually surprised that he was still awake.

"Alucard…" she spoke softly, just in case he was sleeping

"Yes?" he replied, not moving his head to meet her

"A-Are you…not human?"

The atmosphere in the room changed, it wasn't hostile but it had definably gotten heavier, the hooded figure moved his head in her direction, given the few rays of moonlight that came through the window it seemed like inside the hood was nothing more than empty space.

"Why do you say that?"

"W-When you saved me…your eyes were glowing."

"I see. Now the thing here is...Does it bother you?"

Alucard noticed the girl change her position, he wasn't sure if she did it on purpose, but Alexa moved slightly to the other side of the bed, before she replied.

"Are you taking me home?"

"You fear I am lying to you and using that as an excuse to fool you?" the girl did not reply, but her expression made him believe that was what she was thinking

"I guess it is a valid fear. I meant what I said, I will be taking you home. I am a man of my word."

"What if I don't believe you?" Alucard sighed loudly at this

"I cannot force you to believe me, nor will I help someone who does not trust me."

"Then I would be on my own?" there was fear in her voice, Alucard simply nodded

"I can't go home by myself, I know nothing about surviving out here…I guess I'm being an idiot for not trusting you. You've done nothing but help me since we meet." Alexa said, moving to her original position in bed

"Not at all, your fears are understandable given the situation." silence fell between them till Alexa energetically asked

"What kind of non-human are you?"

"I did not say I wasn't human."

"Are you a vampire? My father knows a vampire hunter."

"Sounds interesting. What's his name?"

"I don't remember but it was something foreign I think."

"I see. Then why don't you go back to sleep? Tomorrow will be a long day."

"That's right…we still have two days till we get there…" Alexa sighed, rolling in bed

"Then get some rest."

Alexa went back to sleep, even if she seemed reluctant to do so, Alucard began to ponder how two days did seem like a lot, he wasn't in any worry but doing this for two days was a bother, if only he knew where her house was he could use Gate to make things easier. When morning came, Alucard woke up Alexa which took some tries since she wasn't used to waking up so early and went to get her some breakfast. Unlike the other meal, she eat most of this one perhaps because she was truly hungry, after that they went to get their horse and continued on their trip back to her home.

* * *

It was at lunch time that Alexa showed her hunger, seeing no other option Alucard turned into the woods for a good place to set up a camp and then go hunt. Leaving Alexa on the horse he went out to find supplies to make a fire, luckily he didn't go far so there was no need to worry about the girl, once he got the fire started it was time to go hunting.

"Let's go hunt. Make sure you stay silent."

Pulling the horse by the reins, with Alexa still on, Alucard made his way deeper into the forest, after some time of walking they came across a group of creatures that looked similar to boars bit even meaner. Alucard wasn't sure how would react if he killed one of their own, but if they were anything like the boars back home things could get ugly fast.

"Can you control the horse?" Alucard asked in a low tone

"I-I'm not sure." she replied

"Just one of these would be enough. But if they fight back, you may be in danger…" Alucard's words were cut short when three arrows flew through the air

The arrows went through three of the beasts, causing the rest to scatter in the opposite direction to where the projectiles had come from, seeing this Alucard felt that his worries were for nothing.

"You can come out! We only need two of them." a female voice echoed through the air

From the same place where the arrows had come, three horsemen emerged, they were wearing similar armor even if it looked like to have pieces from different origins and they also had old and ragged brown cloaks, with hoods to cover their faces. Alucard felt uneasy, he was so focused on making sure the hunt went well that he did not focus on anything that might be approaching them.

"Are you sure…" the figure that was to the right of the head horseman began to ask when his leader interrupted

"It's fine. It's rare that I get to meet new, let's enjoy it." the voice was female and young

"As you wish." the man said, lowering his head

Slowly Alucard walked into the clearing, behind him was the horse and Alexa, the three figures stooped near the bodies and that was when the leader removed her hood, revealing both silver and black hair, as she was removing it Alucard got a brief glimpse of pointy ears that were soon covered by hair.

"You're just giving one of these to us?" Alucard asked, he felt like something was wrong

"Yes. Like I said I don't have many friends and I don't know many people from the outside world, so I'm taking this opportunity to socialize." she replied, with a happy smile

"Then, I am grateful for your kindness. Is there some way I can pay you back?"

At the sound of his question, the girl jumped down from her horse and approached him, Alucard couldn't help but notice the excitement in her, she seemed to be trying to control it but he could see right through her. What was causing this he was unsure, but it made him feel uneasy, the two other figures had yet to move but they did show respect for her, which made him be even more cautious.

"Actually, there is. What's your name?"

"My name is Ahab." he lied, telling her his real name seemed like a bad idea, that was what his instincts told him

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm Zesshi Zetsumei." the enthusiastic girl reached out to shake his hand

Replying, Alucard was surprised with her strength, it was an impressive grip and since he was controlling his strength to match a regular human, Alucard found himself overwhelmed by her strength. Wanting to match her, he increased the strength of his grip, at one point before she finally let go he could swear she was making a somewhat pained expression.

"That's a strong grip." she remarked, while jokingly massaging her hand

Alucard noticed the muffled surprised gasps that came from her two companions, the fact that she was showing pain was something new to them and perhaps impossible to fathom. At this point he wanted to get away from them as soon as possible, then the girl continued to speak.

"Is that a katana? To use one of those, you must be really strong, right!?" she asked, her excitement was now child like

"My apologies. But we have to get going…" Zesshi spoke over him

"Do you want to spar with me?"

"I can't. I am in the middle of an assignment, and have already wasted enough time here."

Alucard spoke in a rougher and more aggressive manner, something told him that if she was taking this seriously, which he believed she wasn't, this excuse wouldn't work but as things were it might work. Picking up one of the dead animals, Alucard placed it over his shoulder and turned around ready to leave, this time was one of her male companions that spoke out.

"How dare you…" Zesshi raised one hand to silence him

"It's fine." she said, before directing her words to Alucard

"I hope I can get to see you again, Ahab!"

"Likewise."

Zesshi waited for him to be far away from her and her men before she spoke again.

"Guess he saw right through me." she remarked pouting

"You think that was him?" one of her companions asked

"He wasn't where we were told he should be. And the description matches…" she paused

"But to think he would produce such imposing presence…Makes my body quiver with fear." both men couldn't help but hear happiness in her voice

"Should we go after him?" one of them asked

"No. Without my things I can't hope to beat him. But I'm quite pleased that this outing wasn't for nothing, outside of getting some fresh air."

Alucard returned to camp and began cooking the boar meat for Alexa, the reason he did not abandon that place was because after scanning the area he saw that there were only three of them and that their leader wasn't taking it seriously. The reason for her to be acting like this was unknown to him, it was as if she had heard of him somewhere recognizing him from his appearance, this made him think of who he had meet but not revealed his name. His eyes widened when the answer fell on him, the Black Scripture, his gaze went back from where they had come he didn't feel anyone approaching but he no longer felt safe in this forest.

"We're leaving." Alucard growled, walking up to Alexa

"Wait. Why? Is it because of that woman?" the vampire did not reply, he simply stooped next to her and picked her up in his arms

"Yes. I feel they may come after us. Make sure you hold on to me."

Alexa placed her arms around his neck and Alucard began running, quickly making on to the road he continued running in the direction they would have taken if they were on horse. Perhaps he was thinking rashly, after all this Zesshi had showed no signs of immediate hostility and the three seemed to be alone, however he could not risk it, it could be possible for them to have some powerful item with them and use it when he dropped his guard. Not wanting to risk such situation, Alucard had decided to go to his destination as quickly as possible thinking that even if he was followed the enemy shouldn't be able to so easily do so with his speed.

* * *

Alucard only stopped, after a long time of running, because Alexa was starting to feel sick, the fact she was only feeling it now was already a great feat. The girl jumped from his arms and went for a small walk to take in some fresh air and recover from the shock that was Alucard's overwhelming speed.

"My apologies." he said, seeing the state she was in

"Was that really necessary?"

"It was. I did no trust that woman."

"Was that why you gave her a fake name?" the vampire simple nodded

"To think we would cover so much distance so quickly…If we continue like this we can get there today." Alexa pointed out

"I don't think you will be able to do this more much longer." Alucard said, Alexa gave him a thoughtful expression before replying

"I can. Now drop to one knee."

Alucard raised an eyebrow but did she told him, the girl walked up to him with her cheeks slightly reddened, which just made him wonder what she was going to do.

"Turn the other way!" she shouted, not wanting to waste anytime Alucard did as she demanded

Alexa wrapped her arms around Alucard's neck, promptly followed by doing the same with her legs around his waist, then she rested her head on his right shoulder.

"L-Like this and if you hold me close to you, I shouldn't get too sick." she mumbled shyly

"I-I see." Alucard said, trying to keep his composure

Getting back up to his feet, he wrapped his right arm around her as to make sure she wouldn't move too much while he ran, all the while feeling awkward about the entire situation.

"Let's go then."

* * *

It was midafternoon when they arrived at the front gates to the Victoria manor, it was a large property surrounded by trees and still a good distance from the main population. Of course, before they approached the house, Alexa got into a more presentable position now having Alucard's right arm resting under her and her right arm over his shoulder.

When they got close to the gates, several guards emerged from behind the nearby trees, taking aim at Alucard with bows while others carried swords, from the small group one stepped forwards, from all of them, he had the best-looking armor and short brown hair

"Let the girl go." he said, in a commanding tone

"It's fine, Wahl. He saved me." Alexa quickly informed, jumping down from Alucard's arm

"Are you sure? He looks…" she interrupted him

"He saved me. Now let us through." Alexa's tone changed completely to one full of authority

"A-As you wish."

The gates opened and Alexa walked through them, followed closely behind by Alucard, keeping his head low the vampire took in his surroundings and the obvious wealth this girl's family possessed. Approaching the mansion itself, Alucard saw a group approaching them, one of them he assumed to be her father, to his right was an old man in rubes and behind a sizable armed force.

"Alexa get away from him!"

"What are you saying father? This man saved me!"

"That thing is a vampire! Get away from him!"

Alucard stopped, how did they know he was a vampire, Alexa had doubts that he was human but she had proof, these men had never meet him.

"Listen child, you know my eyes don't lie." the old man spoke

"He helped me he isn't evil!" she pleaded

"What are you saying? Think about it, the only way he would help you in any way was because he saw profit from it." her father continued

Her father, the old man and the guards stopped a few feet from them, the only reason they did not go to get Alexa was because they feared what the monster might do with her so close to him. Alucard greeted his teeth, after wasting his time helping this girl he was being called a monster and accused of saving her for his own gain, it made his frustration grow.

"Old man." he finally spoke, his voice sending a chill around those present, except Alexa

"You said your eyes don't lie. What do you mean?"

The old man removed his hood, showing his extremely aged face and more importantly his white eyes, the eyes of a blind man.

"It is my power, and my curse. I see the true nature of things, and even if your nature seems to be complex…you are without a doubt a vampire." Alucard smiled slightly under his hood

His gaze went to the girl, who now seemed turned between siding with her father or the vampire who had saved her. Alucard turned slightly so he would be facing her, it pained him that she took a small step back, then he kneeled and placed his weapon on the ground much like he had done when they first meet.

"Miss Alexa Victoria. I have kept my word and brought you home." he said, with his head hung low

"Y-You have…" she muttered

"Before I leave. I have something I wish to say. As I do not wish to bother you with my own personal feeling, I now ask if you allow me to share them?"

Alexa was taken aback by such formality, not once not even when they meet had he talked to her in this way, it was so cold and distant it made her feel terrible. Her eyes went to her father and what he had said, she truly was a fool to let his words topple over the vampire's actions.

"I…allow it."

"I thank you for accompanying me. Even if we were brought together by a tragedy, I was glad to know that I had someone else to keep me company on the road."

"What are you saying, you fiend!?" her father growled, most likely misunderstanding what he was saying

"Father, please stop! Let me speak with him." Alexa spat back, shocking those present with her rudeness

"Then can I ask one last thing of you?" Alexa asked, looking down to hide her blush

"I'll listen to your request."

"Can I see your face. You wear that hood all the time, I did not get the opportunity to fully see it."

"Well…That is…" Alucard mumbled, unsure of if he should do it given all the people present

"I understand…You've already saved my life, to want anything else would be too much…"

Alexa gave him a saddened smile, Alucard felt his heart waver perhaps it was the fact she was asking something from him and he was denying it, made him think of Nyx and how she wanted to spend more time with him.

"There are too many people here." Alucard said, Alexa glared at her father

"Alexa, honey, you can't be serious."

"Father, please do this for me."

"Men, turn around and lower your heads."

Alucard looked as everyone but Alexa did as her father instructed, he proceeded to lift his head so he would be looking at her and with both hands remove his hood, revealing his pale skin, crimson eyes and silver hair held back in a ponytail.

"Beautiful…" she gasped in a low tone

"I'll be taking my leave." Alucard announced, quickly getting back up

"Wait…What about your reward?"

"I have no wish to receive any compensation. I've helped you return home, that's enough."

"T-Then, will I see you again?" Alucard felt she had become too attached to him

"I'm sure we will."

Alucard turned to see her one more time, he gave the girl a warm smile before placing his hood back on and vanishing.

* * *

It was already night and Alucard was staying in a nearby abandoned house, now without Alexa he had no real objective, luckily for him he received a call on his earpiece.

[Alucard-sama, I'm sorry for the delay but I have Sebas-sama's location for you.] Talia announced

[Good work, Talia.]

The Bride proceeded to tell him where Sebas and Solution were staying based on his current location, since Talia was using the signal given to her by the Ring of Bound the information she was giving him may not be a 100% correct, but her worries were soon extinguished by her master's calm demeanor.

[And another thing, Alucard-sama…] Talia paused, as if what she was about to say wasn't easy to word

[The human child you were helping, how is that situation?]

[Are you interested in humans, Talia?] Alucard asked with a chuckle

[Of course not, Alucard-sama. But since it seems to have some importance to you, I feel like I must ask about it.]

[I have already taken her home. Speaking of which I believe I came across someone related to the Black Scripture, her name is Zesshi Zetsumei, see if you can find anything about her.]

[Understood.]

[Inform everyone about this. She seemed to know who I was based on my look, I gave her a fake name but I don't think she believed it. That said her name may also be fake, but it's still worth looking at.]

[Should I perhaps provide you with another outfit?]

[There is no need. I wasn't expecting to run into them in the woods, but here in the city I won't be so relaxed. So, don't worry.]

* * *

Vince Victoria, Alexa's father, sat in the couch in his office, in his hand a glass of wine to calm his nerves, after having seen a vampire in person so close to his daughter he was on edge. The situation was made worse because of his daughter's closeness to the beast, and the beast's apparent good nature, even so he contacted a vampire hunter. A knock at the door awoke him from his thoughts, the door opened shortly after and the vampire hunter himself walked into his office, having made his way here without a servant since he was a friend of the family.

The new arrival was a man that looked to be around 30 years old, he had slightly tanned skin, medium sized light brown hair, blue eyes and some facial hair. He was wearing a dark grey buttoned coat, with matching pants and black shoes, on his hand he had white gloves, around his neck was a necklace with a silver cross, in his right hand a briefcase and he also wore spectacles.

"I'm so glad you could come at this time Abraham."

"Don't mention it. Today was uneventful, so I was free to come." Vince motioned the Hunter to take a seat next to him

"I heard you saw a vampire today." Abraham pointed out, placing his case on his knees and opening it

"Y-Yes. It was with my daughter! But strangest thing was that he was nice to her, he even helped her after the people bringing her back home were killed in an attack." Vince said, visibly unsettled by what happened

"I see. Then can you describe this vampire to me?" Abraham asked, holding in his hand a pencil and placing a piece of paper on top of his case

"O-Of, course."

They spent the next hour drawing Alucard, Vince gave him the information and Abraham turned into a physical representation of the creature. As he was drawing the hunter couldn't help but wonder, he had seen many vampires but few were those that bothered to hide their faces, or even wear armor. Above those details there were even fewer that carried weapons, certainly this was looking like a very interesting case and when he was told the name of the creature his interest peaked, as it shared the same name of the beast mentioned by his ancestors.

"You say he help your daughter?"

"Y-Yes! I even had the maid check if she had any bite marks, when they were bathing her and nothing!"

"You have presented me with a very interesting creature." the hunter chuckled, looking at the drawing with the name written bellow it

"What will you do now?"

"From what you said, I have no reason to hunt him. But if I do come across him, we will have a quick chat."

"Shouldn't you just kill it, either way?" Vince spat, Abraham gave him an annoyed yet friendly expression in reply

"You have to be patient and trust my judgment. After all, before you is the culmination of all the knowledge gathered by my family." replied Abraham Van Helsing


	19. Certain Death: Alucard vs Zesshi

Alucard had finished his call with Talia, choosing to go find the house where Sebas and Solution were staying in the morning, he closed his eyes and entered a sleep like state, it wasn't like he needed to sleep but since he was going to stay in the abandoned building for the night he might as well try to sleep.

There was a sudden change in the air, it went from being calm with a light breeze to heavy and with wild sand carrying winds. Alucard quickly opened his eyes to see what was going on, he could not believe what he saw he was no longer in the building, to be more specific he was no longer in the same location he was before. Around him was now a large valley covered in red sand, that was being thrown at him by wild gusts of wind, looking up the sky was dark and cloudy as if rain could fall on him at any moment, even so the area was extremely dry. Alucard jumped back up and continued to look around, in the distance he could see mountain size stone walls, with the same color of the sand that surrounded the area he was now in, if he was correct he was currently inside a circular area with 1km in diameter.

"You seem surprised." a familiar female voice echoed through the area

Alucard turned around to find its source, sitting on a nearby boulder was Zesshi Zetsumei, the girl was now wearing a rather imposing armor, leaning against the rock was a cross-shaped war scythe and in her hands a Rubik's cube.

Since she didn't say another word, as her attention went back to the cube, Alucard took another look around and the scenery began to become more familiar to him, it was just like an image he had seen in promotional material for YGGDRASIL. There were several World Items that could be responsible for this, these all had similar names "Dream Key of" followed by its designation, much like some other spells they were based in stories from HP Lovecraft in this case, these keys would lead to certain locations in the Dreamlands. The only restriction was that a key would lead to only one place, and once in that place the player could not travel on foot to another location, in this case that restriction was represented by the walls, he saw in the distance.

"Another World Item…" Alucard hissed under his breath

"How many keys does the Theocracy, possess?" he growled, causing the girl to calmly look at him

"First to take out Kaire and with her Downfall of Castle and Country. Now you seem to understand what is happening…" Zesshi remarked

"…could it be that you are related to Six Great Gods?" there was a certain coldness to this question, as if she wasn't really interested in it

"You did not answer my question. But no, I am not familiar with any Great Gods."

"Alright… To answer your question, we have two of these keys, this one is the Dream Key of the Red Valley, it's a rather boring name. But if you aren't related to them, how do you know so much?"

"I'm not at liberty to say. Just know that I have no relation to them."

Alucard was not about to tell her his origin, however he was lying when he said that he wasn't related to these gods, as from what he understood they could possibly have been individuals like himself and Ainz. That however could be concluded at another time, right now he had to find a way out, normally one would either take the key with them into the dimension or have someone on the outside to open it. Since this was effectible an isolated place to those outside the Dreamlands, communication with the outside world should be impossible, which meant that perhaps the other two that were accompanying her were waiting outside to open the door.

"Is that so…" Zesshi threw the cube aside, jumped down from the boulder and picked up her weapon, placing it over her right shoulder

"…that is a shame, I was hoping I could learn more about my ancestors. Then, let's get down to business. Our original mission was to find you while you were still under mind control, take you into this dimension and end you then. Now from what you can see, things haven't gone that far from the original plan." the girl chuckled

"So, you're here to kill me?" Alucard's right hand went to the hilt of his katana

"That is the mission, but that would be so boring." she let out a loud sigh

"Then, am I to be your amusement for the pierceable future?" Zesshi let out a small chuckle

"Do you know how rare it is for me to even leave the Theocracy borders?"

"I wouldn't know." she pouted

"I think I can count them by hand. But that is not the main issue. Do you know how many individuals can beat me, or even keep up with me, in battle?"

"I take it that your boredom make you talkative."

"Zero. But you who seem to be able to cloud the Captain's heart with uneasiness and make me, without my equipment, quiver with fear with just your presence…I lack the words to properly describe this feeling."

From what Alucard was concluding, this girl was undefeated and had never been in the presence of someone she could call equal, now he who had caused her to feel fear, would be just another one of those that she would test her strength against. Looking at her equipment, he couldn't help but worry, it didn't feel like anything that he had seen so far if he was going to compare it to anything, it would be some of his own equipment.

"You wish to test yourself against me?" Alucard asked

"Yes! Still I hope you don't mind if I try to kill you, after all that is the mission. I'm already in trouble for having come so close to another countries population. But what can I say, I couldn't let you go so easily."

Alucard's eyes widened as he finally pondered on an obvious detail, how did they find him? He had run here at speeds faster than a horse, they were traveling by horse so it should have taken the more time to get here, then how did they do it?

"Speaking of which how did you find me?"

"Tracking and teleportation magic."

That should not be possible, his ring protected him against tracking, then the possible explanation to him became clear, when he touched her hand or even when he picked up the boar they killed if the magic was colorless and could be attached to someone via touch that could explain how it bypassed the powers of his ring.

"Now, shall we get started?" Zesshi asked

"Before that I still have questions. I know you will be fighting to kill me, then what I will be fighting for?" the girl gave him a wide grin

"I have told them to use the key when the sun rises, which will give us a few hours in here. You will be fighting to survive those hours."

"I see. What happens if I beat you? I'm certain the Theocracy won't let me walk away so easily."

"True. If I'm defeated here, when we meet again I'll have the rest of the Black Scripture with me and probably some other backup…" Zesshi paused as if thinking of something

"What about this. If you are able to match me, but I still win, you come work with us? I mean it would be a waste to kill someone as strong as you, in that case."

"How will your superiors react, to have a vampire working for them?"

"So, you are a vampire? I think it would be fine as long as you followed their orders."

"I will have to decline." the girl pouted once more

"Fine, then we will just have to make this one count. Also, I need a name, and I mean your real name this time."

"I believe that giving one's name before a battle is common curtesy, but since your people are already looking for me, it would be foolish to give you my name."

"Still, give me something cool to call you. Ahab sounds boring."

"Then call me, Zamiel." the vampire purred, unsheathing his blade

"I like it. Then shall we begin?"

"After you."

Alucard took his stance as Zesshi charged at him, her speed was impressive the fact that she was able to so freely move around her weapon was also no small feat, the girl easily closed the gap between them bringing her blade down on her foe. A large cloud of dust rose up into the air when the scythe hit the ground, a smile came over Zesshi's face seeing how easily her opponent had avoided the blow, just before she hit he had become a blur and vanished from sight.

"Few can avoid that initial attack so easily." Zesshi said, looking to her right in the direction of Alucard

"It was a straight forward charge, I believe you would be disappointed if I did anything less."

"True. Why don't you try testing me as well?"

"Since we are going to be here a while, I don't see why not."

Alucard sheathed his sword keeping his right hand on the hilt, leaned forwards, he charged at his target, leaving behind a massive cloud of lifted sand, the vampire once more seemed to become a blur in the girls point of view. Zesshi's straightened her stance and braced for impact, placing both her hands on her scythe she prepared for the incoming frontal attack, since she could still see a blur it shouldn't be too difficult to see how he would act. The blur took solid form when he got close enough to touch her, with his hand still on the hilt he drew Shi with an upwards motion, his opponent managed to place her scythe in the way effectively blocking the attack. A massive shockwave followed, as some sparks flew from the collision, Alucard's feet touched the ground and for a moment it turned into a battle of strength trying to see who would push the other first.

In the end Zesshi was the one to lose, jumping a good distance away from Alucard, she landed beautifully and as if nothing had happened, with her right hand she pushed a few strands of her hair aside and took her fighting stance.

"I can tell you are amongst the strongest people I've faced since I arrived at this region. No, you are the strongest. The fact you were able to distance yourself in such a composed manner proves it."

"To think I would ever hear an opponent complement me on being able to survive their attacks." Zesshi mused, walking slowly towards him

Alucard took his stance and waited, he wasn't expecting her to have taken that last attack so calmly, her equipment truly was powerful, thinking back how he had met her without it on, he should have killed her then, but at that time he was unsure if it was just her and those other two so his lack of action was justified. Now, he was certain they were alone which meant if he needed to go all out there shouldn't be a problem, even so caution was needed against whatever powers her equipment had.

Zesshi was about to attack when her opponent vanished from sight, she stopped and looked around the fact that he was faster than her eyes could follow was annoying, yet exhilarating, suddenly she felt something behind her. Turning around she swung her weapon in her foe's direction, however he managed to land a blow on her side before she could completely turn. What happened next was surprising, Alucard was sent flying back as if thrown by some unseen force while Zesshi remained in the same position.

"I actually felt that. How silly of me, to think that the Mirror Armor could repeal 100% of attacks." she chuckled

"Mirror Armor?" Alucard hissed, jumping back to his feet

"Yes. It is one of our many artifacts, it reflects the enemies attack back at him."

Alucard gritted his teeth, how troublesome, still if she felt that attack the armor does have a limit, but testing that limit now would be foolish as he didn't have the proper means to sustain several tests of the armors strength. Another thing that he picked up was that while she didn't seem to be able to fully keep up with his speed, her reflexes were able to pick up the moment he slowed down to attack.

"That sounds like a troublesome ability." Alucard remarked

"Why don't you come over here, I can show you more." his foe waved him over

Zesshi prepared herself as the vampire went on the offensive once more, even if Mirror Armor was protecting her, it only covered part of her body to be more specific the armor covering her arms and feet was different and of course her head was uncovered. Lifting her scythe above her head she brought it down into the ground, with the raw power given to her by the armor in her arms, resulted in a blow strong enough to crack the ground open. Alucard immediately jumped into the sky, as soon as he felt the ground crack under him, in this moment he committed a terrible mistake and took his eyes off of his opponent. Using the ability in her boots, Zesshi was given enhanced speed, along with being able to stand her ground against Alucard's attacks, and also a substitute for the Fly spell.

It was too late when Alucard saw the woman lunge towards him, the combination of the spell with the tremendous power behind the jump made it easy for her to catch up to Alucard while he was still in midair. Seeing her target completely open, she swung down on him as hard as she could, ramming her scythe into the vampire's right shoulder digging deep into it, the fact he still had his arm was nothing short of a miracle. Sensing her opponent begin to fall back without any signs of resistance, Zesshi prepared to push her blade all the way down, when she felt resistance, it should be impossible his hands were nowhere near the blade how could he do such a thing. His armor didn't seem to have any abilities, especially one that would allow this, a weak chuckle came out of her as another possibility dawned on her, could this be his body putting up resistance against her blade.

"Got you." Alucard hissed, his left hand grabbing on to the scythe

A chill went down her back, but this wasn't the time to be scarred, the vampire's right arm rose slowly, its movements were uncertain because it had almost been severed from the body.

"Shi. Cyclone!" Alucard roared

Having noticed the difference between the types of armor, he could only hope that the effects of the Mirror Armor did not cover the entire body, unleashing the attack on his opponent he was ready to have it sent back at him, so he wasn't surprised when he felt several sword strikes hitting him at once. Alucard was only experiencing this, because part of Cyclone had hit the Mirror armor, the rest had hit Zesshi's left arm, being forced to distance herself from Alucard he was now free to fall back into the ground bellow.

Even with the deep gash in his shoulder, Alucard managed to land on his feet and left hand, looking up he saw Zesshi hovering not too far from him, with a few scratches and dents on her left-arm armor and just a couple of them on her face. His opponent landed about 20 meters from him, she had a blank expression on her face, her left hand slowly moved up and to her face passing over the small cuts, she then looked at her hand and the blood on it from the scratches.

"I-Is this…my blood?" Zesshi asked in a low tone, she seemed to be quivering

Alucard tried to take his stance but like he expected his right arm was pretty much useless, he had few healing items with him but none that could heal that much damage so quickly, throwing Shi into his left hand he took another stance.

"You've made me bleed…"

He was ready for the worse, for someone who had never faced an opponent stronger than her it was possible that this would cause her to go berserk, which could make things easier for him if it meant she would get sloppy. What happened was even worse than that, her eyes went from blank to an expression he would imagine Shalltear, or Clementine the last time they spoke, would give him.

"Can you heal your arm?" she asked, with a smile

"Shouldn't you be worrying about your face?" Alucard retorted, even if it was just some insignificant damage

"Don't worry, I have these." Zesshi reached into a bag that she had to her left and showed him 10 healing potions

"I can last more than the time we have left here with these. But how long can you last with that arm?"

"How…troublesome."

A black aura began to envelop the vampire, like flames it began to grow upwards till it was double the size of Alucard, then he spoke.

"Summon: High Tier Familiar, Hound of Baskerville!"

Large crimson eyes emerged from the black aura, a large toothy grin followed as the creature began to let out low growls, the aura separated itself from its master and fell in front of him. Now taking the defined form of some gigantic hound, that stood as tall as Alucard, with some traces of the same black flame like material still covering certain parts of its body.

"Kill her."

The beast let out a loud roar and charged at its target, Alucard knew this shouldn't do much against her but it would work as a distraction for a while, which given his state was welcomed.

* * *

About 4 hours and 7 healing potions later, Zesshi had lost all armor in her left arm, her Mirror Armor had reached its limit and was now covered in cracks, luckily, she still had all her limbs, even if her left arm was broken. Alucard had lost his right arm, which was unavoidable given the massive cut and his armor was also covered in several slashes, his face was now exposed allowing Zesshi to look upon the face of her opponent.

"Are we done here?" Alucard asked, holding in his hand the bag with the rest of her potions

His foe staggered back to her feet, using her scythe has support she managed to regain her footing, the feeling of losing a battle was completely unknown to her, but as she spat her own blood into the ground she couldn't say it felt bad, in fact it was refreshing. After all, during all this time, this was the feeling she was looking for battle after battle, and now that she had received it she felt fulfilled.

"Y-You…think you have…won?"

Zesshi rammed her scythe into the ground and sat behind it, she crossed her legs and painfully placed her hands in a praying position. Alucard watched on as she did this, was this some admission of defeat, or was she preparing some other attack. When a certain golden aura began to envelop the girl, growing into the sky causing the scythe to cast a cross shaped shadow on to the ground, and Alucard, he understood what this was, dropping the bag he picked up Shi.

"Stand upon the Lord's shadow. Certain Death!"

"Shi. Awaken!"

Alucard said the words even before he could lift his weapon, however it was too late whatever power he was about to use did not come through, Shi fell and its blade rammed into the floor once more. Its master seemed to stop, frozen in time, before falling forwards like a lifeless ragdoll, indeed it had been "Certain Death".

Zesshi panted heavily, Certain Death was the scythes ultimate technique as it would kill every being, living or undead, that stood inside the shadow, but given its magnificent power it had an impact on the user and even she wasn't safe from it. Forcing herself back to her feet, she pulled her weapon from the ground, letting it fall on to the ground, she proceeded to walk towards the fallen Alucard, with the intention to make sure he was dead.

"I guess…beheading would do the…job…" she mumbled, stopping in front of the fallen body

The female warrior lifted her blade above her head, which was extremely difficult given her injured arm, suddenly the air went cold sending a chill through her entire body, followed by an unmeasurable weight falling on her shoulders causing her to drop her weapon. The fallen vampire's body was wrapped in a black aura once more, seeing this Zesshi couldn't help but remember the beast he had summoned which was surprisingly powerful, if that was the case she had to pick up her weapon but the weight on her shoulders wouldn't allow it. This time the aura did not take one massive shape but flew into the sky and dispersed in several directions, Zesshi's eyes went wide as she counted them, there were 10, not it was actually 50, wait there are now 100, impossible there are a 1000, if not more.

The large number of small masses fell all around the battlefield, some of them fell around her and her dead foe, the unnatural sensation she got from them made her jump backwards a great distance to an area that was clean of the shadows. When she thought, things couldn't get any worse, Alucard sat up with his head swung back, his eyes blank, in her mind she saw a puppet being pulled by a single unseen string, then his mouth opened and without his lips moving his voice came through.

"Here standeth the bird of Hermes, eating my own wings to keep myself tame."

The black masses began to move, and the air was soon filled with groans and moans of the dead, Zesshi looked around in complete shock and horror, humans or what used to be humans were emerging from the shadows. Not only humans, from some she could see the creatures known as Rhedosaurus, each small mass that from what she could tell counted over a 1000 was taking the form of some being, be it human or not. That wasn't the worst thing, as she was certain that as long she could get close to her potions and get fully healed she could have a chance of taking them, but some of the beings around her especially those that stood around the fallen vampire had equipment and presence that made them feel even stronger than him.

"Seek and destroy." the unmoving mouth and lips of Alucard commanded


	20. Fall of the Warrior

Zesshi had always thought of what it would be like, to be defeated, having now faced the vampire calling himself Zamiel she could say she knew defeat. Even if in the end, she was the one left standing, having been forced to use Certain Death for the first time in a real battle, she considered this to be a defeat as without it, there would have been no way to get the better of Zamiel. However, she had never pondered on what would happen after her defeat, perhaps because deep down Zesshi would have never imagined defeat to be possible, what she had never really imagined was the humiliation she was suffering now.

Having failed to get to her healing potions, Zesshi only managed to cut down the first wave of the beings that were summoned by the defeated vampire, when she was faced with the ones she considered to be at the same level as Zamiel, she lost. The humiliation came from the fact that after being defeated she was being dragged by them in the direction of the kneeling vampire, to his side was a woman, who had once been known as Gaia.

Zesshi was forcefully placed on her knees in front of the vampire, what remained of her armor was ripped apart, exposing most of her body to the vampire and in the commotion revealing her elf ears. The woman that was to the side of Alucard, placed her hands on his head making sure his mouth remained open and leaned him in towards the beaten warrior.

"W-What are you doing!?" she shouted, trying to free herself from their grip

No one replied to her cries, the creatures were emitting low growls and grunts that she couldn't understand, but for some reason believed it to be language. Zesshi was abruptly brought back from her thoughts when she felt something dig into the left side of her neck, her eyes darted to the source of the pain, just to see the vampire's head on her shoulder. Immediately she realized what was going on, they were feeding her to him, but that should be pointless he was dead, she was certain of it. Zesshi remembered that he had spoken just a few minutes ago, but the voice was empty, shallow, with no life behind it much like the movements he had displayed. She felt the vampire's bite strengthen and felt her blood being slowly drained from her body, Zesshi tried to free herself once more, and like the last time it was pointless.

What remained of her strength slowly began leave her, Zesshi began to let her head lower, her arms went limp in her attacker's grip, this was not her giving up, but rather her body no longer being able to continue. A jolt of energy went through her body, when a new pair of hands landed on her sides, causing her to lift her head, at the same time the defeated vampire did the same. Zamiel lifted his head, letting out a low growl mixed with something she could only describe as a muffled laugh, his gaze slowly moved down, his expression turning into a slight smirk as their eyes meet. His lips turned into a larger smile, now a grin, his left hand lifted slowly and brushed past one of her ears, she flinched at his touch and his reaction was one of pure joy. He was insane, that was what Zesshi thought, that was the only way to describe his changes, when they fought he was a warrior, taking enjoyment from their fight like she did but he was respectful. Now he felt like a complete beast, his smile was maddening, and his gaze one of a predator, if at first she knew what he might do if he was to defeat her, now she had no idea what her fate would be.

"What will you do, now that the Black Huntsman, Zamiel, comes for you?"

She had no time to even think of a reply, their moment was interrupted when they felt the arrival of a new group within the dimension, Zesshi no longer had the strength to look to the side, but Alucard had, he turned his head to the left and about 20 meters from him stood, Ainz, Albedo in her armor and his Brides, in their armors.

"T-This is…" Ainz trailed off, his attention not on his comrade, but on the legion, that surrounded them

Ainz was truly surprised by what he saw, he didn't know that much about all of Alucard's abilities, he did know that the True Vampire had the ability to summon some unique looking familiars. Seeing this legion, his nonexistent heart skipped a beat as he recognized some of the individuals that made up the army, they were players from YGGDRASIL some that were from the group that invaded Nazarik and others from the few times they went out on missions together.

"What should we do, Ainz-sama?" Albedo asked, looking around at the overwhelming numbers

"Do not move Albedo. Do not show any signs of hostility." Ainz remarked

He wasn't afraid, at least he told himself that, but if Alucard was a comrade and from the vampire's point of view he should see, at least Ainz in the same manner, why did he feel such hostility coming from the empty eyes?

"Ainz-sama, may I go to Alucard-sama?" Talia asked, with a small bow

"Y-Yes."

Talia took another small bow and began to make her way towards her master, who was now on his feet, the True Vampire turned to face her and a shutter came from all those present as they saw the missing arm.

"Alucard-sama!" Talia gasped, rushing to his side

Alucard ignored her, his attention went to his fallen foe and then to his katana, placing his hand on the hilt he gave it another command.

"Shi. Sleep."

The legion of figures that surrounded them, collapsed back into black masses, from that they became flat in the semblance of shadows, followed by them rushing into their master's own shadow being absorbed back into his body. By now Talia was to his right side, looking over the wound, she was unable to form any words at the sight of such horrible thing, then she felt a hand fall on her head, it was Alucard.

"Talia, I'm sorry if I worried you." he said, with a kind and innocent smile

"A-Alucard-sama…" she mumbled, still at a loss for words

"Alucard-san, perhaps now you should return to Nazarik." Ainz suggested

"Perhaps, that would be for the best." Alucard chuckled, before speaking again

"I need her taken back to Nazarik, healed and placed in cell. Her name is Zesshi Zetsumei, she is the strongest opponent I've faced after we came to this world, her equipment seemed to be of a similar origin to ours, I suggest we take it back with us. Speaking of which, Touka could you find my right arm? It is around here somewhere. Also she is from the Theocracy, so we should interrogate our prisoners to see what they can tell us about that."

"Yes, Alucard-sama." Touka replied

"Do no worry, Alucard-san. Everything will be taken back to Nazarik, and properly analyzed, along with the World Item we managed to recover thanks to you." Ainz said

"Then, I'll be heading back to Nazarik. I need to get healed and my arm grown back or reattached…Nyx, you are able to do either option, correct?" the True Vampire's attention went to his younger Bride

"Y-Yes, Alucard-sama." she replied with a bow, not seeing the smile he gave her

"Good. Now let's get going."

"Alucard-sama, I-I've found it." Touka approached him, in her hands was his right arm

"Thank you, Touka."

* * *

Alucard and his Brides made their way back to Nazarik, they went back to his room, even if it wasn't the best place to heal him, Alucard had insisted on this. Sitting on the bed with just shorts on, he patiently waited while Nyx was healing him, as this was going on Talia and Touka simply watched on. Nyx healing powers were based on forcing the body to repair itself, she manipulated it into going back to its original state, starting with every other injury outside the missing arm, the process was quick and efficient.

"T-Touka, I need some help with the arm." Nyx said, looking at the limb that had been placed on the bed next to Alucard

"Y-Yes. What can I do?" the older Bride asked, walking to her side

"It will be easier if you hold it next to the stump."

Touka carefully picked up the severed arm and held up to the place it once used to be attached to, keeping it perfectly still Nyx began to work on reattaching it, while they were busy with that Alucard's attention went to Talia.

"About my equipment, can it be fixed?"

"Of course, Alucard-sama! If you wish, I can go arrange its reparations right now."

"There's no need to rush. But if you can, go get me Clementine."

"As you wish." Talia bowed and left

Alucard would ask how they were able to find him, but in his mind the answer seemed rather clear, since his ring allowed them to know his location, after he was sent to the Dreamlands they would have only needed to track the source of the last signal. Of course, such a process would take some time, that being the reason they didn't show up in the early stages of his battle with Zesshi. Thinking back, it would have been helpful if they would have showed up sooner, because he was sure that the fact he survived Certain Death was nothing close of a miracle. True that the only way to describe it was "survived", the attack had left him with less than 90% of his total HP and thrown him into a prolonged stunned state, had it not been for his trump card, he would be dead. That scenario did not come to pass, which meant that once again he had delivered another blow to the Theocracy by taking away one of its top soldiers and artifacts, that alone made the battle worth it.

"Alucard-sama, I have brought Clementine. Shalltear-sama, is also with me, she wishes to see you." Talia announced, opening the door

"Let her in." Alucard said, his gaze going to the two women behind his Bride

Talia stepped aside allowing them to enter, Shalltear went in first taking a spot by the desk, Clementine stood in front of the door closing it behind her. Even with Touka slightly in front, her keen eyes could tell what was going on, they were healing Alucard the extent of the injury was unknown to her but to see him in such a state was still fascinating.

"How can I be of use, Alucard-sama?" she asked, with a bow

"Zesshi Zetsumei. Tell me about her."

Clementine couldn't help but contort her expression slightly, could it be that she was the one to injure him, and if she was in what state was the Theocracy's strongest warrior?

"Was it her that injured you~?" she asked, unable to hold her curiosity back

The reaction she received was the one she expected, the other vampires that filled the room, outside of Nyx, bathed her with killing intent, the smile she displayed quickly turned into a serious and concerned expression.

"I ask this driven by my concern towards my master~"

"You have yet to tell me anything useful. But you don't seem that surprised that she would be able to hurt me."

"If anyone would be able to hurt Alucard-sama, it would be her~ She is the strongest warrior in the Theocracy and possibly the strongest in the world~ She serves as the Extra Seat in the Black Scripture, she guards the treasury of the Theocracy~"

"I knew she was strong, but to think that she could be the peak of strength in the world… What else can you tell me? Do you know something about her parents?" Alucard remarked, Clementine grinned slightly

"Have you perhaps seen her ears, Alucard-sama~?" she asked

"I did." he replied, causing her to chuckle

"You see, she was born to a Godkin~ A Godkin who was kidnapped and raped by the Elf King..." Alucard interrupted her

"I get it." he growled, not pleased with the turn the conversation had taken

"That is also the reason they are currently at war with the elves~" she added

"War brought upon by one man's actions…how human…" Alucard mumbled, with a weak laugh

"Is she alive~?" Clementine asked

"She is. She's currently in the Frozen Prison."

"Does that mean…You wish for her to serve Nazarik?" she asked, with a mischievous expression

"Indeed, she would make a good addition to our forces, even if most of her equipment was destroyed."

"Can I be there, for when you "persuade" her into our ranks~?"

"So that's what you want? To gain satisfaction from watching a former comrade in pain? I don't wish to disappoint you but I don't plan to use such extreme means." Alucard replied

"I…see…" she mumbled, doing her best to hide her disappointment

"With that, you are dismissed." Alucard announced, Clementine hid her shocked expression before she replied

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." taking a bow, she left

"Now, Shalltear. Why are you here?" his attention went to the Guardian, who was currently looking at the floor

"I-I heard of the situation and wanted to see how Alucard-sama was doing." she replied

"Why are you looking at the floor?"

"To see Alucard-sama with so little clothes on…I have to avert my gaze, for fear of being unable to control myself."

"I see. Then I have something I wish you to do. Go find Ainz, tell him what you just heard from Clementine, and tell him I am interested to know what he thinks we can do with her, outside of using her as a fighter."

"Understood." with a bow, she left

"Nyx, how much longer?" Alucard asked, his attention going to the younger Bride

"I…It shouldn't take much longer. I could do it faster, b-but it could result in a mistake, and…" Alucard silenced her, speaking in a calm manner

"Understood. Take your time."

"Y-Yes, Alucard-sama." she said

"A-Alucard-sama, may I ask something?" Talia asked

"Go ahead."

"Why are you bringing this Zesshi into our forces? I understand that she is strong, but she injured you, such insult to your person shouldn't she be eliminated?"

"For that reason, we should not eliminate her. Yes, she managed to take my arm, but outside of that she is not a threat, especially now that she has lost her equipment. Besides I'm sure she has a lot of useful information to give us, after that we will keep her, just like we did with Clementine and Lottus."

"Then, killing her would just be a waste?" Talia asked

"Correct."

"Alucard-sama, it's done." Nyx announced, stepping away from him along with Touka

Alucard slowly lifted his right arm, he moved it around to see if everything was in place, much to his surprise itself like it had never been sliced off.

"Talia, go get me my clothes. Touka go arrange the repairs for my armor."

"Right away, Alucard-sama."


	21. Rise of a Queen

Abraham sat by a table in an almost empty bar, the night had long passed its peak and now what surrounded him were mostly drunks. He himself would not mind being in such a state of mind, however his lineage prevented him from getting drunk so easily, as it also prevented him from aging at a normal rate, even if he looked to be 30 he was truly 40. It was common in all the Helsings to age normally till they reached around 20 years of age, and from there on out the process would slow down, it was a good way to keep the body fit for longer than a human body would be able to.

Thinking of this, Abraham laughed into his half-emptied glass, even if he died old he might still be able to take his good looks into the other world. His blue eyes moved from the drink and into his surroundings, the sound of the door opening had caught his attention and since he was waiting for someone, he hoped this was that person, lucky for him it was, a short figure in a blood red robe and strange mask entered the bar.

It didn't take much time for the masked figure to see him and head in his direction, passing by a few of the drunks she sat on the bench right in front of him.

"What is it this time?" she hissed

"Don't be like that, we haven't spoken in over 5 years."

"I wouldn't be able to tell. Every time I'm around one of you, I feel like I've lost over 50 years of my life."

"So, says the immortal." Abraham chuckled

"Abraham." she greeted

"Evileye…" he said, pausing before adding something else

"Or should I say Landfall, vampire who was killed by the Thirteen heroes and…" Evileye quickly interrupted him

"Be quiet! I don't want to get any unwanted attention."

"Shame isn't it. That you stopped me as I was about to say the part that has been forgotten by most." a strange silence fell between them

"What do you want this time?"

Abraham picked up and placed his briefcase on the table, opening it he took out the drawing he had made of Alucard and placed it on the table so Evileye could see it.

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Don't know him." she remarked, causing the Hunter to roll his eyes at her

"Never heard of him?"

"Well…I have heard of this name on two occasions. First was from Gazef Stronoff, it seems this Alucard and a powerful magic caster, named Ainz Ooal Gown, aided him during an attempt on his life. The other was from the Princess herself, he also helped her during an attempt on her life. I don't know anything else."

"Funny. The one who gave this description to me was Vince Victoria, after his daughter was saved during an attempted kidnapping. However, in this case, it seems Alucard went out his way to protect and bring the child home."

"Then why are you looking for him? He doesn't sound like a cause for concern." Abraham gave her a full smile

"It also seems he may have some considerable power, so I believe it would be neglectful of me to ignore such a vampire, even if he doesn't seem like a threat."

"Also, the name alone gives me enough reason to look for him." he added, finishing what was left in his glass

"Don't tell me you are still paying attention to those stories?" Evileye asked, in an annoyed manner

"How could I not? They were given to us by the founder himself, I cannot ignore them…" Abraham retorted, just to be interrupted

"Is that the reason you gave your daughter that ridiculous name?"

"He wished for the first female born into the Helsing family to have that name, I couldn't ignore it. It took us some time, but we finally got there." he laughed as he said the last sentence

"The poor thing." Evileye sighed

"Speaking of which. I have to get going, her mother knows I don't have any work tonight so she will scold me if I get home too late." Abraham said, placing the picture back in his case

"I didn't know that a head maid, could make such requests of their masters."

"She is also my wife and the mother of my child. As always thank you for the information."

"Sure."

He gave her a nod and left the bar, leaving Evileye to ponder on what this Alucard was, and what his real intentions were.

* * *

Zesshi slowly woke up from her knocked out state, she had been like this since soon after another group had entered the Dreamlands, she slowly lifted her head and eyed her body, she was covered in rags and seemed to have been healed, even so Zesshi still felt the beating she had taken. Her gaze drifted to her surroundings, her arms and feet were bound to the wall, trying to pull herself away from their grip she found that not even her raw power was able to break through them. The room itself wasn't that wide, made of stone and a door in front of her, to the right was a table with many instruments, the smell of blood filled the air, which made her conclude that this was where prisoners were tortured.

She waited for some time for something to happen, surely she wasn't going to be kept in isolation forever, taking the tools on the table and smell of blood it was obvious that this room was used from time to time, she just had to wait to see what happened next. Being alone in this chamber, her mind went to a conversation she had with the Captain not too long before she went on this mission, from the lack of any good topics the conversation drifted into marriage. Zesshi had remarked that she would marry any man, as long as he could defeat her, however she had also remarked that there was no man who could beat her, she let out a low laugh seeing how wrong she was. The sound of the door opening brought her back from her throughs, looking up her heart skipped a beat, as the being who had defeated her entered the room, he was wearing black pants, boots and a trench coat, what caught her attention was his right arm.

"I heard you laugh. Don't tell me spending 2 hours alone, was enough to drive you to mad?" he asked

Zesshi didn't reply, her eyes kept on the vampire who brought in a chair into the room, closing the door behind him he placed the chair in the middle of the chamber and took a seat, placing his right leg over his left knee.

"I am Alucard. And I welcome you to the Great Tomb of Nazarick." he announced, with a small polite bow of the head

"How…are you still alive?" she hissed, under her breath

"What do you mean?"

"Certain Death! How did you survive it!? No one can survive that ultimate attack!" she growled, trashing against her restraints

"I guess…I should be thanking you for that." his lips turned into a smirk, Zesshi stopped and gave him a stunned expression

"Should I explain? If I understood it correctly, you used your own energy to fuel that attack correct?"

"I…Yes."

"There it is. You may be using the weapon of a god, you may be related to that god, but you aren't him. No matter how powerful you are, you still seem to be far from what he was. If Certain Death has to be fueled by the owners own energy, it can only go as far as the owner is able to go. You were just unlucky, you were just a few steps behind from being able to produce enough energy for the attack to kill me. It is nothing to be ashamed off, for a mortal."

"Mortal…No! Set me free from my restraints and we will settle this! I do not know defeat!" Zesshi shouted, with an insane expression

"Are you delusional? You have already lost. The two men who were with you are dead, your equipment was destroyed, the key and your weapon are ours. You are nothing more than a prisoner for the time being, if you were undefeated that is no longer relevant."

"Are you even a man? To run away from a challenge, does that not make you a spineless coward?" she continued on her insane ramblings

"Listen to me, child. You…" Alucard began to say, but Zesshi shouted over him

"I'm not a child!"

"I see. Then perhaps elf would be more appropriate?"

"Don't you dare…" she hissed

"Am I wrong to call you an elf? Those ears are a giveaway, much like your eyes. But since it seems I have touched a nerve, I think we should talk more about this." Alucard said, with a smile

"You bastard. Is the fact that you defeated and humiliated me, not enough!? What will you take next, my body!?" she spat back at him, with hate filled words

"Your body? Perhaps you would be open to some roleplaying?" the vampire chuckled

"You would play your mother, and I would be your father…" Alucard's words were cut short, when she literally spat on him

"You're as sick and as much of a bastard as he is." Zesshi hissed back at him

"I guess I deserved that. Now, let's get back to the elf side of you. How is the war between your people and the Theocracy going?"

"They are not my people. They are trash and they will pay for what they have done!"

"Interesting. You see, from what Clementine told me and I'm sure the rest of our prisoners from the Theocracy will say, whatever issue you might have with the elves is because of the king."

"Your point being?" she asked, with an emotionless tone

"You are slaughtering an entire race for nothing. Those who aren't related to what happened to your mother, are innocent. Or am I wrong?"

Zesshi was silent, and like that Alucard knew his words had some effect on her, in a way he was surprised after all he had just pointed out the obvious, but if this was working he wasn't going to complain.

"I'll take that silence as a sign that you agree with me. That being said, what do you plan to do? As we speak many of your elf brethren are being killed for a meaningless cause…"

"What happened to my mother isn't meaningless!" Zesshi argued back

"Indeed, it isn't. But for how long has this war been fought? Do you really believe, that the Theocracy is still fighting it for the same reasons as it was in the beginning? Don't tell me you forgot that they are pro human?" Alucard was silent for a moment, so his words could sink in

"I'm sure that behind your back they are doing nothing more than thanking the Elf King for giving them an excuse to go openly after the elves. That excuse being your mother, and you."

"Lies! They are fighting this war to avenge what happened to my mother."

"Then, do you believe they actually care for you? A bastard born under the worst of circumstances, whose father is one of the beings they see as an enemy?"

"You don't know what you are talking about…" she mumbled, lowering her head

"You were lucky to be as strong as you are. If it had been any different, do you really believe you would still be alive?"

"I…don't want to listen to this any more of this…"

"I know the truth is painful, but you have to face it. What will you do now? Will you cooperate with us, or will you decide to be silent? Either way you will talk. After that, if you wish to go back to the Theocracy, I will allow it. But what do you think they will do to the person, who gave the enemy every piece of information she had?"

"I will never talk?" she hissed back at him, causing the vampire to give her a grin

"Zesshi Zetsumei, Queen of the Elves, those words are meaningless in this room." he said, at the sound of his words she lifted her head to look back at him, her eyes wide

"W-What did you call me?" she asked, Alucard covered his mouth like a child who had said something he shouldn't

"It seems I have revealed my intentions too soon. I apologize for that. As I was saying…" he tried to guide the conversation in another direction, but she didn't allow it

"What did you call me!? Do not try to run away from this, Zamiel!" she roared back

"I called you Zesshi Zetsumei."

"That's not it."

"Then what do you want me to say?" Alucard asked, wanting to make her say the words

"The other thing…Queen of the Elves…"

"That should be rather obvious…" the vampire gave her a sadistic grin after he spoke

"Who will take the place of the Elf King if he dies?"

"You cannot be serious…"

"But I am. I believe that we will be expanding, I don't know when, but I know it will happen. When the time comes, we will have several places to choose from. Why not the land ruled by your father?"

Even if it made her sick, having someone refer to the Elf King as her father, Zesshi understood that his ramblings could be realized, from what she knew of the Elf Country, if the King died it was possible that one of his children would take the throne.

"Truly you are insane! Do you believe that land will be of any worth, after the Theocracy is done with it? And how do you plan to kill the King? By throwing yourself into a war?" Zesshi argued back

"Please, do not think of me as an amateur. I know a thing or two about toppling a government." his serious and ominous tone made her skin crawl

"Also, I won't be the one doing it. You will, Queen."

"You think I can take on the elf army by myself!? Especially now that I have lost my equipment?"

"Like I said, if we do go forwards with this plan, you will be their ruler…" Zesshi interrupted him

"Figure head."

"It's a matter of perspective. But what matters is that you will be the one ruling them, which means that you will be the one leading the team, that will topple the king."

"And what do I have to do in order to take part in such generous plan?"

"Here at Nazarik, we ask for nothing less than your undying obedience."

"And why should I obey you?" Zesshi remarked, while laughing at him

"Not me per say. But the ruler of Nazarik, Ainz Ooal Gown, he is the one you must truly obey without question. In my case, as long as you do as I say, it will be acceptable. And for reasons we have, you get to remain alive, you get a place to live and a purpose, and you will be placed under our protection."

"Why would I need, your protection?"

"It is the only way you will survive in this Tomb. I just need to give the word, and dying will be the least of your problems."

His tone made her blood run cold, Zesshi pondered on what she should do, perhaps serving them wouldn't be the worst option, but what he had said about the Theocracy only gave rise to more doubts inside her heart.

"You say that the Theocracy, has been using me since the day I was born. How will serving you, be any different?"

"Sentimental, are we? I guess our conversation would lead into that. What do you want me to tell you? We will cherish you? Or perhaps we aren't using you for your abilities or connections?" Alucard paused, as his expression turned serious, Zesshi was surprised with how honest it was

"Indeed, we will be using you and your abilities, as we see fit. How is that any different from what they did? I am honest about it, that is the reason for this conversation. If I wanted I could have gone about this in several ways, torture, beatings, mind control, and a few others. But I think that if I can bring people in, for the most part, out of their own free will, they will do this because they see the gain in it. Be it the simple wish to live, or fulfilling their sick urges, or just achieving new levels as a warrior, all of them know they will be better off by joining us. The decision is yours, if you deny my offer, I will not be responsible for what happens next."

Zesshi felt moved, this was a new side of him that she had never seen, this wasn't the warrior she had faced, this wasn't the demon that held her life in its hands, this was something else altogether, it felt strangely and disturbingly, human.

"I…I accept on one condition." Zesshi said, with her head lowered

"I'll listen to it. But can make no promises if it will be fulfilled."

"I…I want to see the world. The real world, the one that is out there."

"Is that so? I believe something like that can be arranged. After all, if you are to be Queen, you need to learn how to properly deal with your subjects."

Alucard got up from his chair, he straightened his back as he did so, since during all this time he hadn't changed positions all that much and it felt uncomfortable. The vampire walked up to the prisoner and undid her restraints, he began by releasing her feet and then her arms, he then turned around and walked back to the chair. This was a rookie mistake, turning ones back on an enemy leaving himself open to attack, however this was all to test how true her words were. Alucard went pass the chair and into the door knocking on it, almost immediately it opened revealing his Brides and Clementine on the other side.

"It's done. Talia, please go and get her more appropriate clothing. Touka, I heard that a village was being formed on the 6th floor see if it has any room for her. I'm sure you won't mind living in a village?" Alucard asked, turning to face Zesshi

"No."

"Then, you two may leave to do as I have ordered."

"Yes, Alucard-sama." they bowed and left, leaving only Nyx and Clementine

"What can I do, Alucard-sama~?" Clementine asked, with an innocent smile

"Actually, you and Nyx can look over her, while I go talk to Ainz." with that he vanished

Clementine's smile, turned mischievous as she slowly walked into the room, one hand already on her Stilettos, Zesshi seeing this didn't even falter and went to pick up one of the many tools on the table. She knew perfectly well who Clementine was, and even if she was stronger, she didn't want to take any chances against someone like her.

"What~? Don't tell me you think I'm going to attack you~ It's not like I don't want to, but you are Alucard-sama's latest acquisition into our ranks~"

"You surprise me, Clementine. Something like that, never stopped you front getting a hit in, especially now that he isn't here." Zesshi remarked, Clementine simply laughed

"It's obvious that you are new here~ But I'll teach you~" with that Clementine drew one of her weapons, suddenly the sound of something cracking was heard

"I can't allow that, Clementine." a female voice said

"My apologies, Nyx-sama." Clementine said, with a bow before turning back to face Zesshi

"You see, out of the 3 female vampires you just saw~ She is the one you need to fear the most~"

Clementine took a step to the side, revealing to Zesshi a figure she could almost describe as an angel, she had the most childlike expression, it made one want to run and hug her, then her eyes went to the left hand were the thumb was still over the index finger.


	22. The Butler and the Girl

Alucard and Zesshi walked through the 6th Floor, they had just arrived at Green Hole, the reason for them being there was that Alucard wanted to see if Touka found a place for the half elf, and since he had a lot of time to spare they pretty much walked all the way to the village.

Arriving at the village, they saw 5 log houses, with the 6th and 7th already under construction, Talia and Nyx had been dismissed from their duties and instructed not to go after their master, while Clementine had not received such instruction so she was following them from a safe distance. Zesshi was now in her newly acquired clothing, it was light armor, colored with several shades of green, it fit her perfectly and surprisingly didn't reduce her movements at all, almost as if she wasn't wearing anything.

Overseeing the construction, that was being handled by undead and some lizardmen, was Lottus, who was flanked by his brothers, and in his hand held a black pearl like object, thinking that perhaps he would have seen Touka, Alucard decided to approach him.

"Lottus." he greeted

"Alucard-sama." the lich said with a bow, a motion that was shared by his brothers

"I see that you are busy."

"Yes. Ainz-sama, said that I should oversee the construction, since I have some knowledge on the subject. He even honored me with this item, Orb of Death, to better fulfill my role."

"I'm glad, he sees your worth. Have you perhaps seen Touka?" the vampire asked, Lottus didn't reply right away

"I saw her going in the direction of the houses. However, I am unable to say which one she's at, my apologies."

"That's fine. I'm going to find her. Keep up the good work. And Zesshi, stay here." with a calm wave goodbye Alucard walked away

Zesshi was left staring, not really at Alucard but everything around her, she was stunned by how big this place was, looking at the sky one would believe this was the outside world, if not told otherwise.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Lottus spoke, however she didn't seem to listen, so he added something else

"Alucard-sama, that is."

"What do you mean?" Zesshi asked, turning to face him

"First of all, I take it, you are new here. Correct?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Somewhat. Still, I'm sure that you must already know, that Alucard-sama stands as the greatest figure of authority in Nazarick, second only to Ainz-sama."

"…I-I do." she replied

Zesshi only replied in such a manner, because she had yet to truly grasp the hierarchy of the Tomb, she had understood that Alucard possessed authority, even great authority, but she had no idea he was the second in command over Nazarick.

"I see that you are truly, new here. When did he pick you up? Just a few days ago? Perhaps even today?" Lottus enquired

"What's with all the questions? And why did you say "he", how did you figure Alucard, was the one to bring me here?"

"Alucard-sama, never forget to add "-sama", when addressing those that weren't brought into Nazarick. Not doing so, may result in severe punishment." Lottus pointed out, Zesshi simply rolled her eyes and motioned him to go on

"Right. The reason I know he was the one that brought you here, is because he would be the only one to do so, or at least the most obvious option. Most here at Nazarick, do not tend to be so lenient on their foes, or have the foresight to see how they could be useful to them in the future."

"T-Then is that why, you said he was fascinating?"

"Yes and no. Perhaps you have felt this, but when you came across him, could you have imagined he held the position he does?" Lottus asked, Zesshi was silent truly she had not thought of that

"You can see it even now, what ruler, would you imagine going out of his way to search for a subordinate? Even if they did so, they have more than enough power to bother to search them with such tiring means. There are several spells that could have taken him to her, or have given him her position."

"Your point being?"

"It is something truly fascinating, to see a being like him, act like a mere common mortal…" Lottus stopped, and let out an unpleased, almost disgusted, sigh

Zesshi didn't understand why he did this, but soon the sound of a chuckle approached them, turning around she came face to face with Clementine.

"Please don't stop because of me~"

"Took you long enough to approach us." Lottus remarked

"So, you saw that I was watching you~?" Clementine asked, with a surprised expression

"You weren't really, making an effort to hide." the lich replied, Clementine chuckled again

"True~ But do continue, you were going on the most interesting rant~ Have you told her about his eyes~?"

"His, eyes?" Zesshi asked in a low tone

"Yes! Alucard-sama, has the most intense look in his eyes when, he lets his predatory side run wild…" Clementine said, giggling like a schoolgirl, before Lottus interrupted her

"Watch your tongue, Clementine. Don't speak of your master as if he was some beast."

"Perhaps you haven't seen it~ But I'm sure you have, right Zesshi~? Taking into account the state you were in when you arrived~"

Zesshi felt a cold chill run down her spine, it made her skin crawl, as her mind went back to moment she was subdued by the legion of undead fiends, that had been called up by Alucard. The look he had given her after he had feed on her, truly could be described as predatory, or more correctly insane. Something came to her when she thought of this, her eyes fell on the scar in Clementine's shoulder, for some reason it caused her hand to go to her own shoulder where Alucard had bitten her.

"What~? Are you looking at the scar~?" Clementine asked, leaning in closer, so Zesshi could get a better look at it

"Did he give you one, too~?" she continued, with a mischievous smirk

The half elf unconsciously, took one step back away from the woman, more specifically away from the scar, she was now unsure if she had one. No, she did not have a scar, she had carefully inspected her body just before putting on her new clothing, Zesshi had done this to look for things like this, any marks that they could have placed on her.

"Don't put me at the same level as you, Clementine! Unlike you, I'm not an animal, that needs to be branded to remember who its superior is." Zesshi hissed back, Clementine stood back and gave her a thoughtful expression

"How hurtful~ But that's where you are wrong, here we are exactly at the same level~ Remember you are no longer the Extra Seat in the Black Scripture~ You are nothing more than dead meat~" Clementine spat back

"How dare…" Zesshi began, but Lottus spoke over her

"It pains me to say this, but Clementine is right. Whatever, whoever, you were in the past no longer matters, in here you stand on equal ground as she does."

"That doesn't make sense! I'm stronger then everyone here, why will I be tied down with the likes of her!? I can be infinitely more useful than she is!" Zesshi roared back, in frustration

"Is that so~? If you go by that logic, the both of us are useless here, in the face of what the Guardians can do~" Clementine remarked

"Be quiet, both of you! Alucard-sama is approaching." Lottus whispered, loud enough that both women could hear

They looked in the direction the Lich was looking before he spoke, indeed Alucard and Touka were approaching, right away they saw that something was wrong. The vampire's expression was serious, something none of them had seen to this extent, his pace was also fast, well faster than it usually was.

"I could hear the two of you shouting from where I was." Alucard said, stopping in front of them, and waiting for an explanation

"Alucard-sama, I was reprimanding Zesshi~ She was complaining about her standing among the rest of us~ She believes that because she is strong, she should have a higher rank~" Clementine quickly said

Zesshi's eyes darted towards her, it wasn't like what she said was wrong, truly she believes that she should stand above Clementine because of her greater power and mental stability, however how Clementine said it, made it sound so much worse than it actually was.

"Alucard…-sama, I said no such thing." Zesshi argued

"Silence. I heard enough to know what happened. Enough to know, that you probably do see yourself above her. And enough to know, that Clementine was the one to provoke you." Alucard calmly pointed out, freezing both women in place

"You are new and have yet to be properly educated, so I will let this one pass." he continued, his gaze going from Zesshi to Clementine

"However, you are a different matter." Alucard then turned towards the open space where no one was in front of him

"[Gate]. Still, we will deal with that later, now follow me."

"May, I was where we are going?" Clementine asked, with a bow, just before the vampire entered the portal

"My room. Now follow."

Both Alucard and Touka disappeared, when Zesshi was about to walk into to it as well, Clementine decided to speak once more.

"Going to Alucard-sama's room, on your first day here, how luck~" she chuckled, giving the her a lewd smirk

The sudden realization of what could happen, beyond that gate stopped Zesshi in her tracks, certainly Clementine was trying to fool her once more, above all things this vampire could not be some twisted pervert.

"You better get going~ Alucard-sama, doesn't like it when we make him wait~" Clementine remarked, strolling pass the half elf and through the portal

"Go on. Do not let her words affect you, nothing of the sort will happen in there." Lottus said

Zesshi gave him a weak nod and walked into the portal. First thing she saw on the other side was the large bed, with two nightstands to the side, to her right was a semi open door, standing to her left was Clementine and standing near the other two doors was Alucard.

"How may we be of service, Alucard-sama~?" Clementine asked

"Stay quiet and wait." he growled back

Shortly after his Brides emerged from the closet, they were equipped with their black armors, closing the door behind them, they straightened their posture and waited for the superior to give them their orders.

"Ainz, has given me an assignment. It could possibly be dangerous, so he wanted me to bring Demiurge, Cocytus and Victim along with me, however I turned him down. I said that, it would be preferable to have you three by my side. So, I expect all of you to keep your composure." Alucard said

Talia was certain, the other Brides were thinking the same thing as her, not that she wanted to question her master's words or choices, but why was he telling them this? Certainly, it was a great honor, to be chosen over a Guardian in the duty to accompany a Supreme Being into the field. However, why was he talking about their composure, had they failed him when it came to that, was that why he was mentioning it now?

"We are unworthy of such praise, Alucard-sama. But, if I may speak, why did you talk about our composure? Have we failed you in that aspect?" Touka spoke up

"No, not at all. You have all behaved exactly as I hoped, and even went beyond that, it would be wrong of me to question it. What I meant was that, the mission is…delicate, in its nature, so I want all of you to be ready for it."

"We understand. And we apologize, for questioning your intentions, Alucard-sama." Talia replied

"If the mission, is that delicate, shouldn't I perhaps be armed?" Zesshi asked

"Not at all. You are not going in as a fighter, but an observer." Alucard replied, even if she didn't understand she was silent

"Now, the mission itself. Ainz, was informed by Solution that Sebas may have betrayed us." The True vampire said, no one reacted but the room fell into silence

"It seems he has brought into their home a girl, and has failed to mention it on his reports. He also seems reluctant to get rid of her, every time Solution suggests it. Thoughts?"

"Perhaps he has grown fond of her~" Clementine suggested, with a chuckle

"A good contribution, what else?"

"Do we know anything, about how he got the girl?" Talia asked

"It seems he showed up, with her in his arms, one day. However, she seems to have belonged to someone. Someone who is already looking for her, both Ainz and me agree that we should call them back to Nazarick, because of this."

"In his arms? In what state, was she in?" Touka asked

"Not a good one. She showed signs of physical, and possibly sexual, abuse, along with a drug addiction and several venereal diseases."

"Perhaps, she was a toy, that was thrown away~?" Clementine asked, her words had a terrible meaning to them

"That could explain, why Sebas-sama, got attached to her. After all he is able to show great compassion, specially to those in need." Talia said

"True. He does take a lot after Touch Me. Good work, all of you. [Gate]."

"This will take us to the mansion."

* * *

Sebas and Brain arrived at the mansion, the sun had already begun to set, the butler opened the door, coming face to face with Solution he froze, such a strange reaction caused Brain to do the same, because he did not understand why Sebas had reacted like this. Brain did not know why Solution was wearing a maid's outfit, indeed he knew she was a maid in Nazarick however had never seen her in her outfit, the fact that this seemed to frighten Sebas was enough to keep him alert.

"Welcome back, Sebas-sama." she said

"We are sorry for, returning so late." Brain said, trying to lighten the mood, however Solution ignored him and spoke once more

"Sebas-sama, Alucard-sama is waiting for you."

While Sebas heartbeat grew louder, Brain felt his heart skip several beats to the point he was sure it stopped for a moment. Brain was happy when he was moved here, because deep down he had no wish to cross paths with the vampire, of course he knew that sooner or later that would happen, however he preferred to hang on to the fact that this mission wouldn't end that early.

The trio made their way towards the reception room, Solution took the lead, with Sebas and Brain behind her. Opening the door, she revealed its current inhabitants, to the left standing in a line were the Touka and Talia, the latter standing next to the only chair in the room, to the right leaning against a wall was a woman, who Sebas concluded to be human, also to the right and slightly behind the chair was another woman, with both black and grey hair. Finally, the only person who was allowed to be seated, Alucard and on his right knee, the only visible exception to this rule, Nyx.

"We have no excuse to being late." Sebas said, taking a deep bow, with Brain doing the same

"Don't worry about it. It is my fault for not having warned any of you about my arrival. But, please come in, both of you." Alucard said, his tone seemed relatively calm

"Yes." Sebas said

Sebas and Brain slowly made their way inside the room, the butler felt uneasy not because of the hostility being thrown at him, but because of the lack of it. The Brides eyes were covered by their hoods, in fact Nyx seemed more concerned with swinging her legs back and forth from her creator's leg, and the two other women didn't seem that interested in him. Brain couldn't help but feel eyes on him, and he knew perfectly who they belonged to, since that person wasn't trying to hide her intentions, it was the blonde woman leaning against the wall. Even if her expression was relatively composed, he could see the predatory like gaze in her eyes, it was unsettling to say the least.

"Stop." Nyx said, adorably lifting her hand up

Both men stopped in their tracks, they had gone through half of the rooms length, so they were at a good distance to both show their respect towards the Supreme Being and have a conversation.

"I see that you are well, Brain. I hope you have used this time to better learn your place, amongst our forces." Alucard pointed out

"I thank you for such kind words, Alucard-sama. And yes, I have learned much during this time." the human said, with a bow

"I see. Now, the real reason that brought me here, Sebas." he paused, and his eyes went to Sebas

"I don't want to drag this out too much, so I will get right to it. Sebas do you understand, how bringing that girl into this house has affected the mission?"

Sebas felt a chill go down his spine, part of him was hoping Alucard would only mention Tsuare, so he wasn't fully prepared for when Alucard move directly to the impact his actions had.

"…Yes!" he replied, answering later than he should

"Sebas-sama, you were late on your reply. Please…" Talia began, but Alucard raised his hand to stop her

"There is no need, for him to repeat himself. Since you understand, the consequences of your actions. I ask you, if you didn't consider what might happen, when you picked the girl up?" Alucard asked, Sebas could not hide his true thoughts

"I-I considered, the possible outcomes, yes."

Alucard's keen eyes, examined the butler, he could see his strangely cowering figure, the shacking shoulders and the visible sweat that now adorned him, it was truly a pitiful sight, considering how Sebas usually presented himself.

"Are you afraid, Sebas-sama?" Talia asked, but there was no answer

"You should not be. Alucard-sama, is fare when dealing out punishment. There is no need to fear what it will be, since it will be proportional to your wrongdoings." she added

Sebas was unsure of what she meant with those words, how could he not be afraid? Before him stood one of the last Supreme Beings, who now more than ever had his life in his hands, how could he remain calm in the face of such grim looking future?

"Talia, let me talk to him." Alucard said, in a calm manner

"My, apologies."

"Sebas, try to keep yourself under control. It only makes things harder for me, to see you in such a state. It truly pains me." the True vampire remarked

Sebas couldn't help but feel a warmer side of his master, the tone of his voice had definably changed from just a second ago. Not wanting to cause, any more trouble, Sebas did his best to put on a presentable look before Alucard.

"I apologize, for showing my unbecoming side to you, Alucard-sama."

"Glad to hear it. I am also glad, that you thought about what would happen if you brought her here. It's good to see that there are some beings in Nazarick that put some thought into their actions, before executing them…" Alucard paused, and his expression turned serious again

"However, I cannot simply overlook the fact that you have wasted resources on her, and have failed to mention her in your reports. Can you explain, why you did this?"

Silence fell, no one uttered a word or dared to make the smallest of sounds. The only thing that broke through was the squeaking chair where Alucard rested, as the vampire changed his position slightly.

"Are you not going to reply, to my question? Should, I accept it as a mistake that will never happen again? Or is there something more to it? Because if that is the case, we have a serious problem on our hands, Sebas."

"Of course, not Alucard-sama. This was nothing more than foolishness, for me to think such wasn't important enough to be reported." Sebas quickly replied, fearing what Alucard would say next

"Is that so?" Alucard felt relieved

"Yes. Please forgive my indiscretion."

Sebas took a deep bow, in a greater display of his apologetic and honest words, however the tension between himself and Alucard was interrupted by a low chuckle. It was a sound so low, that one could say it was being made instinctually without any control from the mind, the source was the blonde woman.

"You seem excited, Clementine." Alucard remarked

"M-My, apologies, Alucard-sama~ I had no intention to get in the way of your conversation~"

What the vampire said next, made Sebas mind go blank for a moment, not because of the words said, but also the way they were said, in no way did it sound like something the Alucard-sama he knew, would say.

"It is understandable, I'm also quite curious myself. Solution, bring the girl here." Alucard ordered, with a small twisted smirk on his face

Alucard, took a breath, so far things were going as expected, what he needed to do now was see the girl himself and decided with to do with her. Should he dispose of her, or should he bring her back to Nazarick, if he were to do that what would she do, since from what he knew the girl couldn't do anything noteworthy. Indeed, it was a difficult decision, especially when he thought of how it could possibly affect Sebas, that was the thing that was troubling him the most.

"I have brought her." Solution announced, standing by the door with Tsuare

Just like before there was no visible reaction to the girl, the only thing Sebas could pick up was Clementine's subtle stare towards the Tsuare. Why would Alucard-sama, bring such a creature along with him, he could tell from her actions that she was in no way trustworthy, and possibly had some less than healthy tendencies.

"Your name, child?" Alucard asked

She did not reply right away, which was understandable given the situation, in a room full of people, the only ones that brought her any calm were Sebas, and to a smaller extent Brain. The rest of the people filling the room, brought nothing but fear, especially the man who sat on a chair with a child, and the blonde woman that had been eyeing her since she had arrived.

"Are you going to deny, Alucard-sama, an answer?" Talia growled

"…I…I am…Tsuare…" she replied, with a shaky voice

"Then enter, Tsuare." the Supreme Being extended his left hand and motioned her to enter

Alucard eyed the girl carefully as she took uneasy steps in the direction of Sebas, and what she did he couldn't say was surprising, given the fact that Sebas most likely was the biggest source of comfort for her, she positioned herself behind him, and grabbed the corner of his sleeves.

"Since I know who you are, allow me to introduce myself. I am Alucard, Seba's superior. I come here today in the name of Seba's other master, Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Now just to make sure I understood what happened correctly. Sebas, you were ordered to act as discreetly as possible, correct?" Alucard asked

"Yes."

"However, you decided to pick up this human, and by doing so attracted more attention than what was necessary, correct?"

"Yes."

"Which means, you went against your orders, correct?" Alucard's final word sounded like a death sentence to Sebas

"I deeply apologize that my shallow thoughts have displeased you. I shall take caution so something like this never happens again…" Sebas replied, but his master raised his hand to silence him

"It was your first time on an assignment of this nature. Ainz knew what the risks were, even so he placed this mission on you and Solution. Given your nature, it was possible that something like this would happen, that being said we will forgive this transgression."

"My Lord?" Sebas asked, not fully understanding what he had heard

"I said, you are forgiven."

"I thank, the Supreme Being for their generosity." Sebas said, Alucard patted Nyx on the head before he spoke again

"I'm, glad to hear it. Now, we only have to deal with the other problem. What should we do with her?"

Sebas felt an unmeasurable weight, crush whatever hope he had at the moment. It had been foolish of him to think, that even for a moment Alucard would overlook Tsuare, but now he was unsure of what would happen next. Why did he make such a question, was Alucard waiting for Sebas, to dictate the girl's fate, or was the addressing someone else in the room?

"Perhaps we should dispose of her?" Touka suggested

"I thought of that. I also thought of taking her back to Nazarick, but I don't see how she would be useful there. Of course, the option of giving her some money and leaving her somewhere, is impossible at this point."

"Perhaps I could keep her~?" Clementine suggested, Alucard raised an eyebrow at her

"She was a toy after all~ I was wondering, if I could keep her as a plaything~? I'll take really good care of her~"

"How will that benefit, anyone that isn't you?" Alucard pointed out, she gave him a thoughtful expression before replying

"Then, why doesn't Alucard-sama, keep her~? She doesn't seem to be useful at fighting, but… I'm sure she can be useful for something~" Clementine suggested, with a perverted grimace

Even if for a slight moment, Sebas anger seeped through, he was able to control it as soon as he unleashed it, luckily for him no one seemed to act on it. Sebas had no wish to show this side of him to his master, but listening to what the woman was suggesting got the better of him. Once more he wondered why Alucard kept such a creature with him.

"That's a…suggestion." Alucard said, looking around for another suggestion

"Zesshi."

"Y-Yes, Zamiel? I-I mean, Alucard-sama?" she replied, in a startled manner, approaching her superior's side

"Were you paying attention, to our conversation?"

She didn't know what to say, Zesshi had only been listening to part of it, since she was bored out of her mind during the entire time, not finding any excitement in this situation.

"O-Of course, I was."

"Good. Then, what do you think we should do with her?"

Zesshi did not understand why he was asking her this directly, she was just a warrior, back in the Theocracy and even now, that was all she saw herself as, which meant her opinion on such matters was never really asked for.

"I-I'm not sure…"

"You must have some kind of opinion…I'll make it easier for you."

Alucard motioned Nyx to go to her sister's side, he lifted himself up from the chair and moved to its left, what he did next stunned everyone in the room, the Supreme Being motioned the half elf to sit.

"…" Zesshi was speechless

"Come on, we don't have all day." the vampire pointed out

"Alucard-sama, why are you letting, this woman take your seat?" Talia asked, visibly not approving of the situation

"Remember everyone, this woman in the future may become the Queen of the Elves, she has to learn how to deal with her subordinates. This will be her first lesson."

"…I see. My greatest apologies, Alucard-sama." the Bride said, with a bow

"Now sit, and tell us Tsuare's fate."

Zesshi walked up to the front of the chair, looking at it as if it was some kind of overwhelming foe, turning to look at Sebas, Brain and Tsuare she slowly sat on it, uneasily letting her body move back into her seat. She took a breath, trying to control her strangely fast heartbeat, however it only got worse when Alucard placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Zesshi Zetsumei, Queen of the Elves, honor us with your judgment of the human, Tsuare."

"…I decide that…" Zesshi paused, unsure of what to say

"…For being the cause of Sebas mistake…she is to be eliminated…" she stopped, feeling Alucard's grip on her shoulder tighten

"Who shall carry out the sentence?"

Was this really her decision to make? She was a soldier, most of the times even with her superior power, she had never been given the option of what to do, she was given her orders and had to carry them out. The only liberty she had, or took, was how she achieved her goals, never had she been given the option to decide her target's fate.

"Sebas…for being the one that failed at following his orders, he should…" she felt the grip tighten once more

"He will be the one to, carry it out…"

"The Queen has spoken!" Alucard laughed, clapping his hands a couple of times

"However, it is not our decision to make. I'm going back to Nazarick, and discuss what just happened with Ainz, then we will truly decide what will happen. Talia, I will leave this place in your hands, till I return."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

"[Gate]." a portal opened in the middle of the room

"Zesshi, with me." he ordered


	23. Night Talk

Sebas exited the room where he had taken Tsuare to, he was still in the middle of composing himself after what had been his first kiss, however this process was cruelly interrupted as soon as he opened the door. Standing on the other side, positioned in a manner that it was obvious that her intention was to eavesdrop on them, was Clementine. She had one of her hands over her lips, and was giving him an innocent and shy expression, that was nothing but disturbing on a being like her, and was made even worse since it was an obvious attempt to mock Tsuare.

The butler's face became rigid, as he could not find the proper way to express what he felt at the moment, his heart torn between the feeling created by the kiss and the disgust he felt towards Clementine. Seemingly siding with his rage, he clenched his fists and tensed his muscles ready to swat the human out of his way, Clementine's expression changed now showing her true nature.

"Are you angry~? My apologies, that was no my intention~ I was tasked with looking for Brain, so I was making sure he wasn't in that room~"

Sebas didn't reply, he couldn't believe this woman's audacity, she a stranger, an outsider, to Nazarick dared to stand before him, one of the beings created by the Supreme Beings, her superior, and make a fool out of him.

"I see that didn't make you any calmer… Still are you really going to hit me~?" Clementine asked, in an innocent manner

"Don't you think, Alucard-sama will be mad if you hurt, one of his subordinates~?" she continued

She eyed the butler down, her words seemed to have had some effect on him, he was relaxing and his hands were opening, but that was boring she was sure she could get a reaction out of him.

"That seems to have worked. However, if you are still feeling a bit tense, why not ask Tsuare for help? I'm sure someone one with her…credentials, is skilled in handling a man's…"

A hand ran across her face sending her into the ground, Sebas had heard enough and even if she was Alucard's subordinate, he was sure that his master would understand what drove him to this. He had held back on his strength, so he was sure no harm would fall on her from that slap alone.

"Do not use Alucard-sama's name as a shield." he growled, beginning to walk the other way

"Am I that worthless, that you don't even take the time to think of a proper retort~?" Clementine asked, staggering back to her feet

"Human's like you disgust me, so yes. Honestly, I do not understand why Alucard-sama would keep someone like you around." Sebas replied, not even bothering to look back or stop walking

"Why~? You want to know why~? I don't know actually, perhaps it's my good looks, or my personality~" Clementine chuckled

"Or perhaps, he sees in me what he truly is, under the mask you call master or "sama"~ Because honestly do you think he's happy being tied down in that tomb~?"

Sebas stopped and turned around, he had ignored her previous disrespect, but for her to even suggest that one of the last Supreme Beings, one of the two who had stayed with them, in reality had no wish to be in Nazarick or cared for its denizens was blasphemy.

"Are you going to hurt me, now~?" Clementined asked, seeing the expression on his face

She examined the butler, and now yes, he seemed ready to deliver a killing blow, however she really hoped that wasn't the case, after all that was not her objective, she was just trying to find another excuse to be punished.

"He wont. But I will." said a familiar voice from behind her

Looking back she saw Alucard slowly approaching them, the fact he didn't seem visibly angry disappointed her a little, but it didn't bother her as that wasn't the face she was looking for and wanted to see. Even if there was no glow in his eyes, she could already fell her body shake with fear, imagining what he would do to her.

"Sebas, Ainz is already waiting for you downstairs go and meet him. Tell him I will be heading back to Nazarick." Alucard said, stopping in front of a trembling Clementine

"Yes, Alucard-sama." Sebas said, with a bow

"And another thing, I put in a good word for both you and Tsuare. I'm almost a 100% certain that the decision to kill her won't be made. Still that is as far as I could go, the rest will be in your hands, Sebas."

"I am grateful, Alucard-sama. For one of the Supreme Beings, to go this far because of someone who has failed them, I am truly grateful!" Sebas said, with a deep bow

"Think nothing of it. It is the least I can do for Touch Me's creation. Now you better get going."

"Yes, mi lord." the butler left

"Now, shall we get going, Clementine?" Alucard asked, looking down at her

"Y-Yes."

"[Gate]. After you."

The portal opened behind Clementine, she slowly turned around, her feet uneasy, facing the portal she quietly went inside. Using this time alone, Alucard sighed and scratched the back of his head, he really was hoping to get some rest after his fight with Zesshi, but it seems that was not to be.

* * *

Clementine found herself inside Alucard's training room, she took a few steps inside, leaving the way opened for the vampire. Her superior entered the chamber, with the portal closing behind him, for a moment there was silence, Alucard's crimson eyes on the woman, who was subtly shacking in place.

"You were saying?" Alucard asked, walking around the woman

"W-Well, I was just saying that…" Clementine began to reply, stumbling back when Alucard took one step forwards

"Don't mind me. Continue speaking."

"I-I believe that Alucard-sama…is holding himself back…" she said in a low tone, fearing to get hit over her words

"I heard that much. Do you understand, what could happen when you say such a thing in front of anyone in Nazarick?" the question wasn't one of concern, it was more him pointing out her stupidity

"They are narrow minded, and can't bear the thought of living without, you or Ainz~" Clementine spat back, with renewed vigor

"I take it that you are suicidal then? To go around saying such things."

"Far from it. I rather value my life~"

Alucard took a deep breath, why was she acting up, she still seemed to be afraid of him, but on the other hand Clementine had lost whatever fear she had for the other denizens of Nazarick. It wasn't like that was a problem in his mind, having the people he brought in live in fear was not what he wanted, but he could not have her go around acting like this, and he also had to keep his image as a competent superior towards the others.

"Then, why say that, I don't want to be in Nazarick?" Alucard asked, her expression turned into a smile

"Because it is true, Alucard-sama~ I'm sure of it, after all we are so much alike~" she replied, with heart shaped eyes as she spoke

The vampire lowered his head slightly and began to walk forward, for every step he took Clementine took one backwards, it reached the point she bumped into a wall letting out a small yelp as she did so.

"Explain." Alucard growled, in a commanding tone

"T-That is simple~ We are both people, that enjoy what we do very much, to the point one could say we have fun with it…" Clementine's words were cut short when Alucard slammed his hand against the wall

"Continue."

"…The only problem is that, while I am free be as I am, Alucard-sama limits himself so he can "fit" into society~"

Clementine fully prepared herself for some physical blow, but the vampire did nothing, no he did worse than doing nothing, he lowered his arm and walked back to the center of the room. Unless he was playing her, which was a possibility, she had just won this argument, without any retort from him there was no reason for her to believe she was wrong in what she had said. Clementine knew that this was a simple, and convenient, way of thinking but it was a way for her to get her point across.

"Another way I believe we are much alike, is that we bore easily~ That was the reason I left the Theocracy, I got bored~ If I may ask, isn't that the reason you left~? Because you got bored of being here, at Nazarick~?" she asked, now slowly walking up towards him

"And you are pointing this out, why~?" Alucard asked

"Because, as a faithful servant I want to properly serve my master~ So, I could not simply stand by why you hurt yourself~" Clementine replied, with a bow

"Hurt myself?"

"Yes~ Even as much as I love the glow in your eyes, I believe this is caused by Alucard-sama not relieving his vampire urges~"

The use of the word "urges" made his skin crawl, however it wasn't like what she was saying was wrong, Alucard had somewhat concluded that when he got over excited his more vampire nature would act up. He also had found, that after acting on that nature, he could keep his cool for longer periods of time, in that sense she was right.

When it came to him enjoying what he did, well once more she wasn't wrong, it wasn't that he enjoyed killing or torturing his victims like she did, still he would admit that when his vampire side manifested he was prone to doing so. What he did enjoy, like he had enjoyed in his previous life, was when he got to go out on the field and execute whatever mission he was given.

Finally came the point of him being bored in Nazarick, it wasn't true but also wasn't false, he was known for getting bored easily from being in one place for too long. When he was back in his human body, the cycle between work, home and game, was what he used to control this boredom, now that he was in Nazarick, and his missions were few and far between he couldn't help but wanting to go out for a walk from time to time.

"Am I wrong, in what I said~?" Clementine's voice, woke him from his thoughts

"And here I thought you ignored most things that went on around you." the vampire remarked

"How could I~? I am here to serve~" Clementine took another bow

"Is that, so? Then why did you do all of this for? To go as far as risking your life, certainly you must have some reason for doing this." Alucard asked, causing her to stop and give him a thoughtful expression

"What I'm saying is, what do you gain from this? I find it hard to believe that you went through all this trouble just to prove your point."

"Well…I guess I want to see, Alucard-sama unbound~ Free of his restrictions~ Happy if you will~" she replied, the vampire laughed in reply

"I see…" Alucard jumped a few meters away from her, and threw his trench coat to the side

"Then, come Clementine. I will show you what you have so patiently waited to see, it shall be your prize and punishment."

Alucard placed his fists up, and moved his right foot forward, having taken his stance he relaxed his body and eyed down Clementine showing no signs of hostility towards her.

"Now, show me what you've got!" he roared, lunging at her

* * *

When the Brides were informed that Alucard wouldn't be present, for when Ainz would decide Tsuare's fate, they politely asked to be excused and go to Alucard's side, not seeing any problems with this Ainz allowed them to go, along with them went Zesshi.

Arriving at their master's room, they were startled by the sound of something crashing coming from the training room, they went to investigate it and what they found was nothing that surprising. Their superior stood on top of a fallen Clementine, her weapons were scattered around the room, she was covered in little to no bruises, which in now way transmitted what had happened. The vampire, walked up to his coat, he picked it up and dusted it off, before placing it over his shoulder and calmly walking towards the now open door, reacting with surprise when he saw the people standing in front of him.

"Didn't notice you were here. Why are you here? Is the meeting over?" Alucard asked

"No, Alucard-sama. Ainz-sama, allowed us to return here, to your side." Talia replied

"I see." he said in a calm manner, walking pass the four women

"What shall we do with her?" Touka asked, referring to Clementine

"Put her in a cell, there is no need to heal her." Alucard replied, placing his coat back on

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." she said

"Did Ainz, ask anything of me, while I was busy?"

"He did not." Talia replied

"I see. Then, Zesshi come with me, I wish to speak with you in private." Alucard said

"We will excuse ourselves." Talia announced

"No need. I will be taking this conversation elsewhere. [Gate]." a portal opened near Alucard

"Follow." Alucard vanished, and she went after him soon after

* * *

The change in atmosphere was evident, as soon as she ended up on the other side she felt a gust of wind rush pass her, moving the hair from her face she was overwhelmed when she saw the moon beaming down on her. Looking around Zesshi saw that she was in some forest, she was near a cliff that lead down into more forest, and from where she was she could indeed see the moon as it decorated the clear sky.

"A nice view isn't it?" the familiar voice of Alucard echoed from behind her

Quickly turning around, she saw the vampire sitting on a fallen log, his right leg over his left like when he meet her in her cell. Zesshi didn't reply right away, because she was wondering why he had brought her here.

"It isn't displeasing." she replied, not wanting to let him notice how she found it surprisingly breath taking

"You said, you wanted to see the world. I guess, this isn't anything that different, even for you." Alucard said, with a weak laugh

Zesshi felt her heart skip a beat, had he really brought her here to see the view? That didn't make much sense, of course she had said that she wished to see the world, since most of her life was spent inside the Theocracy. Still, for him to bring her all the way out here, was strange to say the least.

"I-Is that why you brought me here?"

"Yes, and no. Actually, I wanted to talk about this last mission, well about what you were there to witness." Alucard replied, she didn't say anything back waiting for him to continue

"What did you think? Say, the first thing that comes to mind."

She didn't reply right away, managing to hold back the urge to roll her eyes at him not seeing the point of this question, but decided to do as he said.

"Boring." Zesshi replied, and Alucard chuckled back at her

"Why?" the vampire asked, leaning in as if he was trying to achieve something with his questions

"I only stood there and did nothing. And the only time you asked me to do something, it turned out to be pointless. Zesshi replied, confident in her answer

"Wrong. What you did wasn't pointless at all."

"How could that, be of any value?" Zesshi asked back

"It told me a lot actually. Remember what role we are hoping you will eventually play, taking that into account we need to learn what kind of person you are, to better understand you and then better mold you into a suitable ruler. You need to mentalize yourself of this, you are no longer just a soldier."

Zesshi shifted slightly, it wasn't like he needed to remind her of this almost every time they spoke. She knew perfectly what she was getting into, or believed she did, when she agreed to join Nazaricks ranks. Still, it wasn't like she would change just like that, into what they seemed to want her to be, she had a certain attitude towards things and it wouldn't be that easy to change her. The fact that he kept going on and on about this, only made her want to things her way and not his, the only thing holding her back was the memory of what he was able to do.

"So, all of that, having me decide her fate, was just to see how I, as a ruler, would act in a similar situation?" Zesshi asked, and a small smile formed on Alucard's face

"I see, that it didn't go completely over your head. Indeed, that was my main objective. How did it feel?"

Should she tell him, how nervous she truly was? Should she tell him, how awkward and uncomfortable she felt being the center of attention, all the while having to decide the girl's fate? Zesshi didn't know what to say, perhaps saying something along the lines of what he must be expecting her to say, but what would that be. Did Alucard expect her to be nervous, since it was her first time taking on such role, or did he expect her to reply with the utmost calm, given the fact that she was an experienced warrior, and such a small thing should not be a problem.

"It felt…" Zesshi fell silent

She was unsure of what to say, the still alien feeling of fear got a hold of her body, she did not understand this this situation was nothing to excuse what she was feeling right now, he in no way was acting aggressively towards her. The realization of what was causing this change, soon came to her, she feared that this was just a trial run, she was not the only elf they could find, yes she was the strongest, but far from the only elf they could get and use as a front to rule the Elf Country. With that being the case, if she showed no signs of moving in the directing they wanted, surely she would be easily replaced, leaving death as her only option, or worse, the words he had said about roleplaying came into her mind, and made her sick.

"Why did you stop?" Alucard asked, snapping her out of her trance

Alucard saw her stance change, it stiffened and straightened, she was on the defensive and he could not understand why, surely he had showed no hostility towards her. Then, why was she acting like this now, he had simply asked her a question, nothing to warrant such reaction.

"Are you scarred of something?" he asked, in a calm tone, the last thing he wanted was to agitate her even further

"N-No. Of, course not!" she replied, however her tone didn't convince him

"You know, lying won't get you anywhere. It would be better for you to speak your mind." the vampire pointed out

"As if I could. How do I know, that I won't be killed at the first mistake I make!? Let's be honest here, all you need is a figure head to take the place of the King, the fact it is an elf or not in the end in but a detail." Zesshi spat back at him

Alucard sighed internally, why was she going on about this, he was sure nothing of what he had said had alluded to this being the reality of her situation. He had done his best, as her superior, to make her feel as welcome as she could possibly be in Nazarick, after all he didn't want to bother himself with any unwanted rebellions. Clementine was already a big enough headache with her twisted way of having fun.

"You are free to speak. I don't remember, ever having told you otherwise. The reason I asked you what you had felt during that situation, was because I truly want to know. If I had already made up my mind about it, or had assumed what you had felt, we would not be having this conversation. Now, I ask you again, how did it feel?"

"It felt awkward and uncomfortable! I am not suited to take on such role…it didn't help you were squeezing my shoulder all the way through." Zesshi replied

"I just wanted you to speak, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere if you kept on pausing with every word you said. Now that you have answered me, I can already tell you, that you can forget about those feelings right now, they are no longer an option. You will have to further yourself from being just a simple warrior, and into being something more…" Alucard said, stopping when he was about to say, "just like I did"

"You make it sound easy." Zesshi retorted

"I guess, I do. Good talk, I hope, you learned something from it." Alucard said, getting up from where he was seating at

"Y-Yes."

"Now, let's show you where you will be staying at."

"Yes."

"[Gate]. Follow me."

* * *

Going through the portal, Zesshi found herself back in the 6th floor, not too far from where Lottus was still conducting the construction of the new houses. The only difference now, was that two other beings were next to him, one she recognized immediately as Nyx, now in her white dress, and the other was a small female dark elf.

Alucard started walking in their direction, with Zesshi following him, Nyx was playfully looking around the elf and actively speaking with her, however from what the half-elf could see, the female elf looked visibly overwhelmed by such energy and seemed to almost be cowering.

"I see, you are keeping up the good work." Alucard said, as soon as they approached the group

"Thank you, Alucard-sama." the lich replied, alerting the other two to the Supreme Beings presence

"W-Welcome, Alucard-sama!" Nyx said, with a bow

"W-Wel-come, A-Alucard-sama." the female elf replied, with a bow of her own

"No need, to be so nervous, Mare. I'm simply passing by." Alucard remarked, in a calm tone

"Y-Yes." Mare said, better straightening his posture

"Nyx, why are you here?"

"…That… Onee-chan, said that there should be no problem if I came here to see, Mare-sama." Nyx replied, shivering slightly fearing what her creator would say next

Alucard didn't say anything, he simply patted her head, with a fatherly and understanding expression, an act that left Zesshi starring at the genuinely kind nature the vampire was able to show.

"I almost forgot. Zesshi Zetsumei, this is Mare Bello Fiore, he is one of the 6th floor Guardians."

"…It's an honor to meet you, Mare-sama." Zesshi said, with a bow, making an effort not make it obvious she had mistaken him for a girl

"H-Hello…"

"How does it fell, to meet a fellow elf?" Alucard asked

"I'm not…" Zesshi was quick to try and deny his words, but Mare spoke over her

"Y-You're, an elf?" the boy asked, in a quiet and shy manner, so much so she wasn't sure if he was interested

"Y-Yes. But I'm only half elf."

With that she did something, she would have never imagined herself doing by her own will, her hands went up to her air and moved it so as to expose her ears. As soon as she had done this, it was as if she came to her senses and went to try and cover them, however the innocent look in the boy's eyes made her stop.

Alucard stood quietly to her side, this was going better than he had ever expected, for her to show her elf nature so willingly was truly a miracle. Looking down at Mare, he began to understand why she might have acted this way, the boy's cowering yet adorable expression must have been what caused this momentarily change in her. Not wanting to ruin the strangely beautiful moment, he slowly turned around and began to walk back, however he did not go unnoticed.

"I thought you were going to show me, where I was staying, Alucard-sama." Zesshi pointed out, with her pointy ears still sticking out from her hair

"Indeed, I was. It's the one over there, you just have to share it with two lizardmen." Alucard replied, motioning her to the house

"O-Ok. Thank you, Alucard-sama."

"Don't mention it." with that he continued to walk away from them


	24. A God's Strength, a Vampire's Weakness

Having left Zesshi in the 6th floor Alucard made his way back to his room where he finally got the rest he wanted. Waking up, he found his mind once more placed on Zesshi, this time he was curious about that aura she had used during their fight.

With no real rush, he made his way back to where he had left her, looking around he found no sign of Lottus or the Lizardmen that were at work on the houses, he also couldn't see Mare or Nyx anywhere which made him wonder where Bride was. However, that was not what had brought him here, going up to the fifth house he very calmly nocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. Not long after he knocked, a male Lizardman opened it, coming face to face with one of the Supreme Beings he seemed to freeze for a split-second before welcoming him.

"A-Alucard-sama, you honor us with your presence!" he gasped, taking a step to the side and bowing

"There is no need for ceremonies…" Alucard remarked, pausing so the Lizardman would give him his name

"My apologies, I'm Kiryu." he informed, with another bow

"My I come in, Kiryu?"

"O-Of course, Alucard-sama." Kiryu replied, not really understanding why that question was made, after all this land belonged to the Supreme Beings

"Thank you. Can you tell me if Zesshi is here?" Alucard asked, taking a few steps inside

"Yes. She is on the last door to the left. However, she warned us, that she did not wish to be disturbed."

"I see. Thank you for the help, I can make my way there myself."

Alucard walked pass Kiryu and went to the door, it had no lock so just by turning the knob one could open it, perhaps that was the reason she warned the others not to disturb her. Not taking her words that seriously, Alucard placed his hand on the knob and announced his intentions.

"I'm coming in."

"Wait…"

He didn't have time to listen to the rest of her protest, he opened the door and looked inside the room, it had a single small bed with one nightstand to its right, with a small lamp on it, the single window was shuttered, in front of the bed was a small desk with a mirror on top of it and under it was a bench. His eyes went to the only source of light in the room, or what remained of that light, in the middle of the bed was Zesshi with part of her golden aura still drifting away from her body. That was not what got his attention, as much as it pained him to admit it, it was the fact that she was naked, using only her arms to cover her body since he didn't give her any time to use something else to hide it.

"Leave!" she shouted, bringing him back from his thoughts

"My apologies!" Alucard said, quickly closing the door

Placing his forehead on the closed door, the vampire took a deep breath and did his best to bring his heartbeat back to normal, he had to regain his composure there was no point of thinking too much into this. It had been a considerable amount of time since he had seen a woman naked, but Alucard knew that was no excuse to act like some inexperienced teenager and ogle at her like he was sure he was doing just before she told him to leave. Still, how could he not look at her, she was so beautiful, every line in her body, stop! Alucard held himself back to avoid banging his head against a wall, he could not think of her like that, especially now when they had a very specific and important propose set for her.

"When you get dressed, I'll come in." he managed to say

"Come in, then." Zesshi hissed back

Opening the door once more, he was relieved to see her in the outfit she had been given, taking a deep breath he walked into the room and closed the door behind him, the opened shutter now illuminated the chamber. Zesshi didn't speak right away she was still composing herself, it was rare for anyone to see her naked body, especially a man. The situation wasn't made any easier by the fact she was sure the vampire was blushing slightly.

"Why are you here? What do you want…Alucard-sama?" Zesshi asked, in a less that polite manner

"You should control how you speak to me." he pointed out

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. I was still in shock of having you stare at my naked form. Or perhaps that is something, the other women at Nazarick freely do for you?" she remarked, sarcastically

"Bite your tongue elf. You are giving this incident too much importance." Alucard hissed back, making the air in the room run cold

"…T-Then, why are you here?"

"What you were doing just now, that golden aura. I want to know more about it, since I take it you use it to charge your attack." once more she felt his tone shift completely, from threatening to casual

"What is there to say… It is the manifestation of the god side of me." Zesshi replied, not really knowing what to say

"Is there anyone else who can do it?"

"No. I am the only person, alive, who descends from him. That is the reason I used that weapon, because it was his initially."

"Interesting. Now show it to me."

"Show you what, exactly?"

"The aura itself."

Zesshi sighed, crossed her legs, and placed her hands in a praying position, the flame like aura began to slowly yet steadily grow out of her and into the ceiling, when it finally hit it the aura stopped.

"It's much smaller, then when you used it against me." Alucard pointed out

"You just asked to show it. There is no need to use more than necessary."

"Makes sense…Can I touch it?" Alucard asked, approaching her

"I…If you must. Go ahead."

Alucard extended his right hand and touched the aura, he was surprised as soon as it touched it, outside of feeling hot it was dense, so much so his hand didn't go pass it. Applying some pressure, he managed to break through and enter the flame itself, the feeling was different this time, it felt slightly hotter and his hand was also covered in a strange tingling sensation. Being transfixed by the unique sensation he felt coming from it, Alucard did not notice when smoke began to rise from his hands, so he only noticed it when Zesshi pointed it out.

"Your hand's burning!" she gasped, not because she was worried, but because the phenomenon fascinated her

The vampire quickly took his hand out of the woman's aura, he looked at it carefully examining what damage could have been done, the only thing he found was slightly reddened. His eyes darted towards Zesshi, did she know what would happen if he touched it, no that did not seem the case her reaction felt too genuine. Either way this was a unexpected result, and one that somewhat worried him, if she used this to charge that attack, it meant that it too was based on this energy, which meant that the reason he survived it could have just been pure luck.

"I'm so sorry, Alucard-sama. I did not know that would happen." Zesshi said, in a panicked fashion

"Did you know this would happen?" he hissed, looking back at his hand

"W-What? No…I mean I wasn't sure. I know there are some beings who are affected by it, but I didn't expect it to have the same effect on you…"

"I take it was a miscalculation?" the vampire asked, in a very calm manner

"Y-Yes."

"Then why haven't you dropped your aura?"

Zesshi felt a chill go down her back, indeed she hadn't moved since he had asked her to show him her aura, even when during this conversation she hadn't moved. She gulped realizing her mistake, she had found a way to hurt him and had admitted that it was not her intention to do so, however she kept that "weapon" pointed at him in what could be seen as an act of defiance and rebellion.

"That was not my intention…" Zesshi said, beginning to draw her hands apart, just for Alucard to force them together with his left hand

Zesshi let out a muffled gasp, his hand was once more within the flame and was already starting to burn, but much like before he didn't show any signs of pain, his attention was fully focused on her. Another thing that made her fear this situation was that he used his left hand, in her mind it didn't make much sense for him to do so, the only thing that she could come up with to explain this was that he used the right hand to draw his katana. At this realization her blood ran cold, was he planning to cut her down for her mistake?

"Tell me one thing, this praying position that you take when you summon your power, do you need it to do so?"

"…Y-Yes. I mean that was how I was taught…"

"Then, allow me to make you this question." he paused, and his lips curled into a sadistic smile

"Can you pray, with only one arm?"

The half-elf held herself back not to try and pull her way out of his grip, certainly he was joking if they indeed had such great plans for her, taking an arm would only hinder them. Quickly she realized this was no excuse to stop him, after all there was healing magic, and if he had his arm back the same could be done to her. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head slightly and waited for whatever the vampire would decide to do with her.

"I take it that you can't…" he mumbled, letting go of her and walking back towards the door

"You're not going to take my arm?" Zesshi gasped, causing him to turn back to face her with a raised eyebrow

"I'm not that cruel, elf." he replied, with a light chuckle

"I…I see." she mumbled, embarrassed with how dramatic she made the situation in her head

"Still, I would like to know, why you can only use that power when you take that stance."

"It was how I was trained. I was always told to imagine that my body was divided in two halves, and that the potential to unleash this power was kept on each side, so the only way to bring it together was to connect those two halves, which I do by placing my hands together."

"Then why do you cross your legs?"

"I helps me concentrate, but it isn't necessary." she replied

"Interesting. Perhaps you should begin to train on calling up that power without placing your hands together."

Zesshi felt as if she was punched in the gut, it had been years since anyone had said that she should train for anything. She was a child when she learned everything she knew, so the need for training never arose, after all there was no one for her to try and match up to. Now she stood in front of a being, that not only could beat her, but for the first time in a long time presented her with an obstacle to be overcome. Forgetting the idea of being able to beat Alucard, she went back to thinking on how to summon her aura without using the praying position, it would take a lot of time to do such a thing, since she had used that stance since she was a child. To be able to break that habit was something that even Zesshi was unsure if she could do it, she wondered if the vampire thought of such a thing when he told her to train.

"I understand if it takes you a while. If you have spent all this time using that method, it is only natural that it will take a lot of work for you to find another way. As they say old habits die hard. But, there is no need to worry you have all the time in the world to do it." Alucard spoke

She held her shock, could it be that he could read minds? No that was not the case, if he could do such a thing she was sure a lot of other situations could have been avoided. Then was he speaking out of experience, was that even possible he had shown her such strength that she automatically concluded that he was born with that strength, much like she had. What a frightening thought, for her who had been born with natural potential, to have been beaten by a being who had once been weaker than her.

"Were you always this strong?" she asked

"What do you mean?" he asked back, not really understanding what she meant or why she had asked it

"Your power, your strength, was it always like this?"

"Now that's a pointless question, isn't it." the vampire replied, causing Zesshi to roll her eyes at the underwhelming reply

"But since you started it, is there any other question you would like to make?"

"Actually. What was going on when I first meet you? Why did you have a girl with you?"

"I was out for a walk, found her being attacked and decided to help."

"How heroic, of you." Zesshi remarked, sarcastically

"Still, if that was the case why were you going around on a horse? Wouldn't it be better to use your speed, or magic to get around?" she argued

"It was easier to carry her on a horse, and like I said I was out for a walk I didn't intend to rush it."

Zesshi's jaw almost fell to the ground, what was wrong with him? Why would someone like him, go through so much trouble in order to help one little girl, a girl that in his eyes should be nothing more than meaningless.

"I'll be going then. Make sure you are dressed the next time I come by, or call on you." Alucard announced, opening the door

The vampire was gone before Zesshi could growl something back at him, throwing herself back on the bed her thoughts went back to Alucard, she really wanted to get a better understanding of him. So, far she had seen him showing several, if not opposite, emotions and actions which only made it harder for her to find what she truly wanted to know, the why, the reason he did all of this. From what she saw, even if he was seen as a ruler and a godlike figure, Zesshi was able to understand that he didn't seem that interested in those things, if he wasn't interested why was he here at Nazarick and what why did he do the things he did?

* * *

Alucard had just walked out of Zesshi's room, when he was contacted via Message by Demiurge.

[Alucard-sama, could I request your assistance for my current assignment?]

[Sure. What is it?]

[It seems the human girl, Tsuare, was kidnapped. And Ainz-sama as given me the order to get her back.]

[Not that I mind helping you, but wouldn't it be a waste to send in such much heavy hitters in that situation?]

[Yes, Alucard-sama. For that part of the plan I have already selected Sebas and Brain, I only request your assistance for the other phase. At first, I was thinking of taking on that role myself, but I believe that a Supreme Being would be more fitting for that role.]

[Why don't you explain the plan to me? The whole thing.] Alucard asked, he wanted to have all the details before he made any decisions

[As you wish.] with that Demiurge proceeded to explain the entire scheme to his superior

[Understood. When are we leaving?]

[In about half an hour.]

[I'll come meet you then. I just need some time to prepare myself and the others.]

[Take your time, Alucard-sama. I am already grateful to have your assistance, I can't ask for more.]

[Since you are the one in charge of the operation, you are entitled to certain liberties. So, use them well, Demiurge.] Alucard remarked, ending the Message

The vampire took a deep breath, turned back to the door and flung it open.

"You're coming with me. We have another assignment to get to."


	25. Operation Begin

Shalltear passed back and forth in her bedroom, she was so excited because finally after so much time had passed she would be going on a mission. Not only that, but she would once more be sharing the sharing the field with Alcuard, she just couldn't hide her excitement. Should she wear something different, after all she needed to look presentable when standing before the Supreme Being, but was that the right call? It was going to be a serious mission, so she shouldn't fool around much, she already had much to prove after her failure so not taking this seriously would only make things worse.

"You! What do you think I should wear!?" Shalltear hissed, looking at the Vampire Bride that was currently in the room

"I-I would not know…Shalltear-sama always looks good in anything she wears." she replied

"Useless! All of you are useless…I'll just go as I am." Shalltear growled back, walking past the inferior vampire

* * *

Zesshi stood in Alucard's room once more, she was currently waiting for the Brides and her superior to finish their preparations. Unlike them she didn't need do change, she was still wearing the same outfit, yet it had a few additions to it, with a black cloak over it, this cloak was held in front by 3 buttons and had a hood, she was also wearing a black Doberman mask that only left her eyes exposed. The reason she was wearing this was because it was all part of the mission and Alucard's plans for their group, apparently what they would be doing would involve interacting with people, and not in a good way, so they would need to hide their identity. Which meant she had to come up with a new name, the vampire had given her that freedom unlike the brides which he would be naming himself.

"Zesshi, have you come up with a name?" Alucard asked, emerging from the closet wearing the same type of cloak and mask

"I…No, I'm really not the best person to come up with such things…" she sighed

"Then, I'll have to do the honors. Let me see what I can come up with…Queen, during this mission you will be called Queen." the vampire remarked, sounding very proud of himself as he did so

The half-elf didn't reply, for such a simple name even she could have come up with it, and taking into account what their plans for her are, it was less than an imaginative one at that.

"What about the others? What will their name be?" she asked, eying down the masked vampire

"Touka will be Maria, Nyx will be Rose and Talia will be Sina."

"You seem to have put more thought into their names, than mine." Zesshi pointed out

"Is there a problem with that?"

"N-No, of course not. Then what about you?"

"Since you seem to sometimes, you seem to forget my actual name. I will be calling myself Zamiel so, there will be no need for honorifics."

"Alucard-sama, we're ready." Talia announced, as the three Brides emerged from the closet in their armors and wearing the same masks

"Good. Now's let's move out."

* * *

The group made its way to the Amphitheatrum, already waiting for them was Demiurge, Entoma, Mare and the Evil Lords. Walking into the colosseum Alucard couldn't help but think this was overkill, however taking into account Demiurge's plans he could somewhat understand the need to bring in such beings, and if he wasn't mistaken there were still a few of them to show up.

"Sorry, if we are late." Alucard said, approaching the group

"There is no need for apologies, Alucard-sama. You arrived within the given time." Demiurge replied with a bow

"So, who are we waiting for?"

"Shalltear. Anyone else will be added later."

"I see. Then let's up she doesn't take long, time is short as it is." the vampire sighed, the demon simply nodded in reply

"M-Mare-sama! Mare-sama!" Nyx began to call out, waving energetically towards the Guardian

"H-Hello." the elf replied in a low and shy tone

"Alucard-sama, can I go play with Mare-sama?" she asked, looking at her creator

"Only till Shalltear arrives."

The young vampire let out a happy cheer and rushed to the elf's side and the result was the same as the last time Alucard had seen this, Nyx overwhelmed him with her energetic presence and Mare couldn't seem to do much against it just saying a few words here and there. What he had yet to understand was what did Nyx feel towards him, was this simply friendship, or did she have some other interest, because after all even if she looks and mostly acts like a child, she isn't one.

Everyone's attention went to a portal that opened not too far from there, from within emerged the remaining member of the group, Shalltear. She took a few elegant steps out of the portal before her attention went fully to her fellow Supreme Being, and moved only by the sudden heat that filled her abdomen she went up Alucard and threw her arms around her neck, resulting in her hanging from it.

As the female vampire rambled on about beauty and other things, Zesshi watched on stunned taking advantage of her mask in order to not restrain her expression. Was this kind of behavior normal, or was she a special case? Since she had arrived here, she saw how people interacted with Alucard and to a lesser extent with Ainz, she had yet to see anyone act so boldly towards their superiors. What surprised her even more, was that Alucard didn't seem to mind this at all, Zesshi understood he was a lenient master but wasn't this behavior a bit too much for him to simply ignore.

"What are you looking at?" a poison filled hiss broke Zesshi's concentration

"Yes, I'm talking to you!" Shalltear growled, her eyes piercing right through Zesshi

"I'm not…" the half elf tried to reply, but the vampire didn't allow it

"Are you jealous? You think just because you were brought here by Alucard-sama himself, that you are special? Don't make me laugh, someone like you can only hope to be used as a toy by someone as powerful as him."

Zesshi gritted her teeth and readied a reply, but failed to word them as she noticed what the female vampire was doing, Shalltear was actively brushing her body against Alucard, it didn't make things easier for the half-elf to see the expression in the vampire's face.

"That is enough." Alucard said in a low tone

"B-But, Alucard-sama I'm almost…" Shalltear tried to say, but he spoke over her

"You're almost what? Are you going to make another "mess", like last time? I don't have time for this, we don't have time for this, but more importantly you don't have time for this." he growled down at her

Shalltear dropped down to the floor, she didn't step away as soon as she should have, her head was still lowered and red, her breath was heavy and even with her dress it was obvious that her legs were moving slightly.

"How unsightly." Talia mumbled under her breath, but not low enough so that Shalltear wouldn't listen to it

"How dare you!?" the True Vampire hissed, her eyes darting towards the Bride

"Enough!" Alucard roared, causing everyone present to immediately straighten their posture

"Our…" Talia and Shalltear began, but he interrupted them once more

"I said, enough!"

"Now, Demiurge what will we do next?" Alucard asked

"I guess, it is time for us to get going."

* * *

Sebas was surprised by the group that stood before him, three Guardians, to Pleiades, Evil Lords and above all those one of the last Supreme Beings, who was also accompanied by his subordinates.

"I must thank the Supreme Beings properly. Especially when one of them would waste his time with my problems." Sebas remarked

"Your problems are Nazaricks problems, Sebas. We are only doing what is best for all of us." Alucard replied, in a somewhat cold manner

"As per Ainz-sama's orders, I, Demiurge will take command… Is there an objection, Sebas?" Demiurge spoke out

"Of course not."

"Then I shall get this out of the way so there is no misunderstanding between us. Ainz-sama did order us to rescue Tsuare, but the reason we have committed such strength is to punish these ignorant Eight Fingers who committed a grave sin against the Supreme Beings."

"I know that very well. Rescuing Tsuare is only a secondary objective."

"That is correct. I doubt this Tsuare has resistance against revival magic…" Demiurge began to reply, just for Alucard to interrupt him

"There is no need to waste revival magic on her, if we can avoid it."

"Of course, Alucard-sama. But, if she was already dead or…" Demiurge said, and was interrupted once more

"There is no need for such negativity, it isn't good for morale. If we go in under the assumption she is already dead, and we only need to get the body and revive her, there will be no real reason to rush. And that may lead to some laziness, from those involved." Alucard said, his gaze going over all those present

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. I had not considered that scenario." Demiurge replied

"Demiurge, did you already obtain the necessary information to destroy the Eight Fingers?" Sebas asked

"Of course, Sebas. I have all the necessary information."

As the conversation went on Alucard limited himself to only listening, outside of his intervention earlier he had no need to say anything else, after all he was here working under Demiurge's instructions. The True Vampire got his attention drawn back into the conversation when a Shadow Demon appeared to inform Demiurge of something.

"Mare, this is a new information. We have a new Eight Fingers hideout to attack. I'm sorry, but I will need you to head there instead. You might not have enough manpower, but I will send Entoma as support and…Alucard-sama." the demon spoke, his attention going to the Supreme Being

"Do you mind if I take my subordinates with me?"

"Of course not. They are only needed for the second phase of the plan."

"Then, I will be waiting your instructions, Mare." the vampire said

"Y-Yes." the elf remarked

"Good. We'll talk about the details later, but for now let me explain Operation Gehenna while everybody is here. This is the most important plan we'll execute in the Kingdom, so pay attention."

* * *

Mare, Alucard, his Brides, Zesshi and Entoma watched over a mansion from a hidden vantage point. Lights could be seen from the windows, and with superior earing Alucard could pick up several voices, it seemed like some sort of social event was going on inside the building. Knowing what they would be doing made him somewhat excited, it had been a while since he had been in an operation like this, and he was almost shivering with anticipation.

"T-There seem to be some people inside." Mare remarked

"Not a surprise, or something that Demiurge didn't consider." Alucard pointed out

"Y-Yes."

"How do you wish to proceed?" the vampire asked, looking down at the small elf

"D-Demiurge t-told us what to do…" Mare replied, however this meant nothing as Demiurge hadn't pointed out any concrete course of action

"To find things of value and people who have useful information. But he did not tell us how to do so, I wanted to know who you, the second in command, wishes to proceed."

Alucard knew he was applying to much pressure on Mare, but since he was the one in charge Alucard wanted to see what the elf could come up with.

"…Shouldn't Alucard-sama, be the one to decide?" Mare asked

"Not at all, my role in this operation is to follow orders, your orders."

"T-Then…W-We should f-find the people who had information, a-and get rid of the other's like Demiurge said."

"How do you plan to find those people?"

"W-We ask the people inside, they should know something."

"Understood. Talia take the right, Touka take the left and Nyx take the back. You heard Mare's words, find people who seem to have information and make them talk. Anyone else who stands in the way, is to be eliminated, we don't want any witnesses or runners. Make sure you don't cause too much of a disturbance till we know who is of value inside. If you are discovered by the enemy and fail to eliminate him before he sends out an alarm…then we go all out, the most important thing is to make sure no one escapes."

"Do you agree with this, Commander?" Alucard asked

"Y-Yes." Mare replied

"Now go!"

"Yes sir!" the Brides bowed and vanished

"What should I do?" Entoma asked

"Y-you'll stay behind and help clean up after words." Mare replied

"What about me?" Zesshi asked

"You'll do nothing, until you are instructed otherwise. Mare if I may I will take the front of the mansion."

"O-Of course."

Alucard turned to face the building, he took a deep breath letting his muscles relax as he prepared himself to rush the mansion, as he was about to leave he received a communication from Touka.

[Alucard-sama, I've found a guard that knows some information.] she informed, stunning him with how quickly she had done so

[Can you bring him here? Or will it be easier for us to go to you?]

[I'll be there right away.]

A few moments later Touka arrived near the group bringing with her one of the guards, he wasn't wearing any kind of armor and seemed to be rather young.

"So, you have some information for us?" Alucard asked looking down at the young man

"Y-Yes! Please don't hurt me." he pleaded, kneeling on the ground

"I see. Mare he's all yours." the vampire said, taking a step aside so the elf could speak with the guard

"…W-Who is the most important person in the mansion?"

"That would be Hilma Cygnaeus, our boss! She's sleeping in one of the rooms on the second floor!"

"T-Thank you for your c-cooperation…" hearing these word's the guard spoke over him

"Does that mean, you'll let me go?"

"Touka." Alucard said in a low tone, looking at the Bride

"Yes. Yes, we are."

Her arms moved in a blur, passing by the guard's neck in a blink of an eye, then went back to their original position, the body simply collapsed to the side with the head rolling to the side.

"A-Alucard-sama, you go find her. I-I'll deal with the rest." Mare said

"Understood. Touka, inform the other's, tell them to keep things as quiet as possible but that there no longer is a reason to hold back." with that he vanished

* * *

It was her thirst that woke up Hilma, moving around in the large bed she reached out to where the water jug would be placed next to the bed, however her hand found nothing reminding the woman that none had been placed there in the first place. Sitting up in bed, revealing her naked body in the process, she let out a less than appealing yawn, her eyes blinked a few times before falling on the large black figure sitting on the right corner of the bed.

She held back on simply shouting for the guards to take him away, her instincts told her that wouldn't be the wisest course of action, her eyes quickly examined him and the only thing she could think of was how overwhelming he felt.

"I hope you slept well." he spoke, his voice was deep and imposing to match his figure

"What are you doing here?" she asked

Certainly, this was not one of the nobles, even with the cloak and mask she could somewhat tell what his built was like and she was sure that none of the mansions regular visitors were in that good a shape. Unless he was a bodyguard, who had gotten a little too confident and wandered on into her room, perhaps having learned of her being a former high-class prostitute if that was the case and he was trying to get lucky, she wouldn't mind obliging depending on how he looked under the mask and cloak. Or was just here to outright rape her, if that was the case the poor guy had chosen the wrong target.

"I'm here for you."

Her intuition told her that something was wrong, the fact that the mansion was strangely silent, the aura that this man gave off and how his words made a chill go down her spine, all these things told her that something had happened and that her fate would not be a pleasant one.

"…Then, would you like a bit of pleasure?"

An act of desperation, but a necessary one in her mind if something bad was going to happen all she could do was dampen whatever blow she was going to take. Before this figure, she could only use her greatest weapon, her body kept fit even after she stopped being a prostitute, as it was now there was no way he would be unable to avoid any carnal desires. Taking advantage of already being naked, she got on her knees and slowly began to crawl towards him, this was only a guess but something about his presence told her he most likely like woman who would simply give themselves to him. Of course, that was not her idea but she had to act on what she perceived in order to get on his good chances, and better avoid the impending doom her instincts were warning her about.

The figure stopped in his tracks, internally she let out a sigh of relief it seemed like she hadn't lost her touch, however his eyes didn't change that much he had simply stopped. Even if the affect she had on him was only slight it seemed like it was working, she stopped at the edge of the bed and looked up at the towering figure.

"What would you like me to do?"

Hilma was sure this would work, it was impossible for it not to, then she heard the sound of the door opening and quickly turned around to see the new arrival, it was a female in black armor and wearing a similar mask.

"We are finished, Alucard-sama." Talia announced

"I guess I should finish up here as well."

"Wait…" Hilma spoke, before collapsing on the bed from a blow to the back of the head

"What should we do next?" the Bride asked

"The Brides and Zesshi will go back to Demiurge and prepare for the next phase of the plan. I will take our newest associate back to Nazarick, Mare will accompany me. Go and call him."

Talia took a bow and left leaving Alucard alone with the unconscious woman, shortly after Mare arrived at the room, by this point Alucard had already Hilma on his shoulder and a Gate opened.

"Shall we get going?"

"Y-Yes."

* * *

Going through the portal Mare found himself in the Frozen Prison, which he thought was strange since Demiurge had instructed that if they found someone of interest they were to be taken to Kyouhukou.

"…A-Alucard-sama…"

"Yes?"

"D…Didn't Demiurge…say we should t-take her to…Kyouhukou?" the boy managed to ask

"Indeed he did, that is why I am more than open to hear his complaints if he doesn't agree with my decision. However, I have much more faith in Neuronist's abilities when it comes to this kind of situations." the vampire replied

The sounds of shy laughter began to come from one of the many hallways that stood before them, it was obvious who it was.

"I see you came to welcome us, Neuronist."

"It would be rude of me, not to welcome you into my home, Alucard-sama."

"I have brought you a new toy." he informed, motioning to the naked woman on his shoulder

"It's perfect, Alucard-sama. I feel so honored to be given such a toy."

"Then you remember what I usually tell you correct?"

"Do not break it."

"Good. Especially this one, we need her mentally fit. And if you don't mind I will be helping with the session. Which reminds me, Mare perhaps you should go back to Demiurge and tell him about my situation?"

"A-As you wish."

"If something happens, contact me via Message."

"Understood." Mare left


	26. Unexpected Complications

Hilma woke up with a massive pain in the back of her head, and general numbness all over her body, she was unsure of what had happened or where she was. From the pain, she could conclude something had hit her and most likely knocked her out, slowly raising her head she noted her naked body and the stone that made up the floor. Looking to her sides, she let out a muffled gasp noticing that she was bound to a wall, this gasp turned into an absolute cry of terror when she saw the thing that was standing to her right. It was a blood like being who was busy placing some kind of device on her fingers, as if it was measuring them, the thing eyes met hers and then it spoke.

"My apologies, I did not know you were awake." it seemed to take a small bow and walked back to a table that was full of all kind of instruments

"I see we can get this started." spoke a familiar male voice, Hilma's eyes darted to the closed door and there was the masked man from before

"You…" she hissed, letting some of her anger show

"Yes, it is me." he replied, actively mocking her

"Do you know who I am!? Do you know what will happen to you for doing something like this to me!?" Hilma roared out, like a rabid dog

"Is that a threat?" the man's voice sent a chill down her spine, he wasn't intimidated at all

"Do you know who has the luxury of making threats?" he continued, she simply stared back at him

"Those who are in charge, those who have power. Now I ask you, do you feel in charge?"

"…N-No…" the woman replied

"Good. Then, let's begin our little negotiation session, first I will need your name and role." Alucard asked

Hilma didn't reply right away, should she tell him the truth or leave out her true role in the organization, he said that this was a negotiation which means one should be able to get their way as long as they held something the other wanted. That should work in a normal situation, however she was outnumbered and literally laid bare before her opponent, at this point it didn't seem like any of her tricks would work, she would have to try and talk her way out of the worst-case scenario.

"I am…Hilma Cygnaeus…A-And I…work for Eight Fingers…" she informed

"I see. First of all, let me introduce myself." the man removed his mask as he spoke

"My name is Alucard, and I work for Ainz Ooal Gown. The Supreme Being who rules over the Great Tomb of Nazarick, which you are currently at."

Hilma quickly looked pass the fact she was in a tomb, why was he telling her this? She knew very well how one would normally proceed in a negotiation, there should be no leaking of unnecessary information. For example, he should have just told her his name and perhaps who he works for, by telling her where she was it would only give her more information to work with, even if what he said was limited. Why was he so calm, it was true that she currently held no power so he could easily do anything he wished to her, but if he truly wanted to negotiate he wouldn't be behaving like this.

"And I must say, if you truly just work for them. I should commend who ever rules over Eight Fingers for giving their workers such living quarters. Or could it be that you are lying?" Alucard hissed

"N-No. I-I would never do such a thing."

"If that is the case. Neuronist, begin with her right hand."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." the blob replied, picking up a rusty knife like object

"What are you doing!? I answered your question!" Hilma shouted in desperation

"Don't worry, Onee-chan is just going to remove the skin from your hand, there is no need to make so much noise." Neuronist replied

"Stop! I don't deserve this! I told you the truth!"

"Is that so? Then why did your guards seemed to be under the impression you were their boss and the leader of the drug trade?" Alucard asked, in a calm tone

"T-That was just a lie, they were made to believe that, nothing else."

"Is that so? Then please forgive me, for not believing you." Alucard said, sounding truly apologetic

"Then call it off!" Hilma pleaded

"It? Onee-chan's a girl." Neuronist corrected

"Like I said I don't believe you. So, I have no reason to stop her."

Hilma looked at Neuronist, her right hand was now in the creature's grasp and the knife was slowly making its way up to it.

"Fine! I am the leader of the drug trade."

"Stop." Alucard said, raising his hand

"As you wish." Neuronist placed the tool back on the table

"See how it is easier to tell the truth?" Alucard chuckled, Hilma simply nodded

She cursed herself for her foolishness, that one had been to close for comfort, the only thing she wanted was to make this situation as easy as she could for herself. The fact she had tried to somewhat defend her position within Eight Finger's had almost gotten her in serious danger. Her mind went back to what Alucard had said, this Great Tomb of Nazarick and the Supreme Being who ruled it, how supreme could he really be, could he perhaps be greater than Eight Fingers, if that was the case what would she gain from joining them.

"Now we can truly begin. Since you are one of their leaders, certainly you have information on the rest of them correct?"

"Y-Yes."

"Why not share it with us?"

Hilma looked straight at him, was he joking, did he not know who he was telling her to betray? Or was he just that confident in his superiority, if that was the case was such superiority based on truth or just belief. Depending on which she would have enough information to make her choice.

"I'm not going to risk my life betraying Eight Fingers."

"Who?" the man asked, leaning his head to the side

"…" Hilma did not know what to say, was he just doing this to mock her

"Because that is what the world will be saying when we are finished with them. But if you do not believe me, I will bring you a Mirror of Remote Viewing so you can see what we will do to them tonight." Alucard retorted, there was no reply

"The ship that is Eight Fingers is sinking, with you on it. Now what will you do Hilma Cygnaeus? Will you go down with the ship, or hold on to the lifeline that is Nazarick?"

In what seemed to be a moment of insanity, Hilma began to laugh hysterically Alucard was unsure of what had caused this, but he was pretty sure he had said nothing that one would consider funny.

"W-What do I gain from this?" she asked, in between laughs

"Alucard-sama, should I teach her some manners?" Neuronist enquired

"No need. Her worries are justified. All she needs is to be educated of the benefits one can gain from joining Nazarick."

"Should, I teach her?"

"Please do. I'll leave you to it."

"Wait! Where are you going, we are not finished here."

"Indeed, we are not. However, since you wanted to know what you will gain from joining Nazarick, I will leave you in the capable hands of my subordinate."

"I am unworthy of such words, Alucard-sama."

Hilma once more cursed herself, she had made a terrible mistake by letting her true intentions show, being left alone with Neuronist was not her plan and if that was too happen she was sure the monster would make sure she would be perfectly cooperative without gaining anything in return.

"I accept! I will do as you say!"

"You must say it properly."

"I accept your offer, Alucard…-sama."

"Wise choice. I must leave now, however Neuronist will stay here with you, tell her everything. Neuronist, make sure you don't break her and bring in a Mirror, I want her to see what we can do." Alucard placed his mask back on and walked out of the door

Hilma looked on as he left, having now seen his face he certainly had an attractive look to him, perhaps the efforts she had put into seducing him in an effort to save her life, could be placed on seducing him for other benefits. After all, if he answered directly to the ruler of this place, if she was able to manipulate him she could get to his superior. Indeed, her attempts before didn't seem to have worked but at that point she had had no preparation, now if things lined up correctly she could gain a hold on the ruler of Nazarick himself.

* * *

Alucard emerged back in the manor, which for the moment was being used as the operation's main base, inside were Demiurge, his minions, the Brides, Zesshi, Solution, Mare and Shalltear, he gave everyone a nod, as he made his way towards the fellow True Vampire.

"Demiurge do you mind if I take her away for a few minutes?"

"Of course not, Alucard-sama. Just make sure you are ready to go when the time comes."

"Will do. Now, Shalltear follow me to the basement."

"Y-Yes." she replied, going after him

Alucard let Shalltear be the first to walk into the dark basement and followed her in, closing the door behind him, Shalltear walked into the middle of the chamber before she spoke.

"To be alone with Alucard-sama…" she said in a shy manner

"Don't over think this, Shalltear." he remarked, removing his mask and cloak

"W-Will I have my…first time here?" Shalltear asked

"I'm afraid not. I was hoping you could spar with me."

"I-I'm honored, but wouldn't one of your Brides be better? I am not that skilled in hand-to-hand combat."

"Demiurge will be needing them soon, unlike you."

"I will do my best." the female vampire said, not pleased with being reminded of being on the reserve

The male vampire placed his fists up and moved his left leg slightly to the front, taking a Muay Thai stance, his expression turned serious but not threatening and the air became colder around them.

"Whenever you're ready."

* * *

Shortly after Alucard left and Entoma began her fight against Blue Rose, Demiurge found himself somewhat bored and feeling the urge to start some kind of amusing argument between those present. His eyes scanned the room in search for the perfect target, in the end he found Zesshi to be the most viable option.

"Zesshi, how has been your time in Nazarick?"

Everyone turned their attention to the demon, knowing his personality such a nice sounding question definably had some ulterior motive behind it. In Zesshi's case she was just wondering why he would care about such a thing, after all even with her power she was just another grunt in their eyes.

"It's been good, Demiurge-sama."

"Have you perhaps considered siring an heir with him?" he asked, with the same natural tone as before

"What!?" Zesshi gasped, from behind her mask

"Did you perhaps did not understand my question?"

"I-I understood it. I just don't understand why you would ask such a thing."

"Is it not a natural thing to ask. From what I've heard you possess considerable strength for a simple mortal, wouldn't your children have even greater power? And with that wouldn't it be possible for us to strengthen Nazarick?"

Zesshi tried to ignore the fact she had had similar thoughts in the past, after all she was the one who said that she would marry the men that could defeat her and of course had wondered how powerful their child would be. At the time, it was nothing but a joke, something that in her mind would never happen, but now it was a possibility. Still, she was not happy with this demon bringing up the subject in the middle of their mission.

"With all due respect, Demiurge-sama, but why would Alucard-sama chose someone like her?" Touka interjected

"After all, he already has us." she added

"But isn't that too limiting? We a world full of possibilities, why should he limit himself to Nazarick? I understand that the children would definably be stronger, but they wouldn't be too diverse." the demon argued

"Limit himself? What do you expect Alucard-sama to do while he travels the world?" Touka asked, raising an eyebrow at him

"Perhaps you misunderstood my words. I only meant to say that the world offers more possibilities then the limited number of females in Nazarick."

"Excuse me." was the only thing Talia said, as she made her way towards the door

"Where are you going?" Touka asked

"I don't wish to be part of this conversation anymore."

"Make sure to come, when you are called upon." Demiurge said

"Of course." with that Talia left

"I'm going too." Zesshi announced

"But you can't. You will be called upon soon, it is best if you stay here." the demon informed

"Fine…" she hissed

"Has the conversation made you uncomfortable? My apologies if it Was, I always considered that the need to reproduce was a natural part of human nature, even if you are just part human."

Anger began to boil inside Zesshi and she could not understand why, Alucard would call her elf from time to time usually when she was acting in a manner that displeased him. Zesshi herself would admit that she was beginning to accept that part of her, however the way the demon spoke his words seemingly full of venom for some reason made her angry. If it wasn't for the mission, and him most likely being stronger than her, Zesshi would have replied with something utter than words.

"Then you shouldn't judge me in the way you do them." Zesshi growled back, it was a weak reply

* * *

Talia made her way towards the basement, for some reason she felt unsettled, it couldn't possibly have been the conversation which outside of its suddenness it was a perfectly viable topic. However, if she believed this way did it made her sick to think of Alucard-sama bedding a woman that wasn't her, or Touka was this what people called jealousy? That could not be it, there was no reason for her to feel this, after all Alucard-sama is free to be with anyone he wants.

The fact that she was now going to the basement where Alucard and Shalltear were, why was she going to bother her master, why did she dislike the idea of him being near that perverted thing called Shalltear. Arriving at the door, she placed her hand on the doorknob Talia began to turn it when she heard Shalltear's voice coming from inside.

"Your grip is so strong, Alucard-sama." the female vampire said, with a tone Talia couldn't begin to describe

"Control your voice Shalltear." Alucard remarked

Talia simply opened the door and let it move back revealing to her what was happening, from the entrance she could only see Alucard on top of Shalltear.

"M-My apologies!" Talia said, taking a bow and quickly closing the door

"Wait." Alucard spoke up jumping back to his feet and walking towards her

"Alucard-sama, I-I'm sorry…If I interrupted…" Talia began to say, having difficulty choosing her words

"No, no. It's actually a good thing you did…To be honest I somewhat forgot that Shalltear was like this." Alucard explained in a low tone, so only she could hear

"A-Are we d-done?" Shalltear asked, staggering back to her feet her face was bright red and her expression was a perverted one

"Y-Yes, we are. I take it you will need some time to…compose yourself?" Alucard asked, placing his cloak and mask back on

"Y-Yes." Shalltear replied

"Then, I will leave you to it. Let's get going Talia."

Turning away from the basement he began to make his way back to the room Demiurge and the others were at, Talia was following close by with the previous conversation still in her mind.

"A-Alucard-sama, may I ask something?" she spoke up

"I'm listening."

"…H-Have you…considered h-having…heirs?"

Alucard stopped and turned to face her, what had caused her to ask him such a thing, had she perhaps gotten the wrong idea when she entered the basement? Certainly, that could not be it, after all she knew how Shalltear was, he had just made that mistake of overlooking it when searching for a suitable sparring partner.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Demiurge-sama, he asked…if Zesshi had considered doing it…with you…" Alucard raised his hand to stop her

"I-I see…But I want to know why you made the same question to me."

"I'm just bothering you with meaningless things again. Please forgive me, Alucard-sama. Perhaps we should get going." Talia said, trying to drop the subject

"Indeed, the fact you seem to be deflecting my question is bothering me. Why don't you make things easier by answering me?"

"Please d-don't make me say. I've already acted in a disrespectful manner towards Alucard-sama, I cannot do it again."

"Talia, I'm waiting. I've already told you that you are free to speak your mind, that is the thing that I most value in you. How you will speak freely when you see fit to do so."

"I…I'm…jealous!"

Her voice echoed through the building, Shalltear who was walking in their direction froze in place after hearing the Brides words, a reacting that perhaps was shared by the other people in the manor that had heard her.

"J-Jealous?" Alucard said, not understanding what was causing this

"Alucard-sama no longer pays as much attention to us as he did before. He spends so much time with Zesshi, and even with Clementine before her. Have we displeased you in any way? Have your perhaps grown bored of us?"

Talia continued to bombard him with questions, Alucard didn't know how to reply from where had this insecurity come from he had never seen Talia acting like this, he was sure she wasn't able to act like this.

"Is there something they have that we don't? Have they perhaps given themselves to you…because Zesshi didn't seem to outright contradict the idea of having children with you…Is that what we are missing? We've already said, our bodies are yours we just need the order and we will ple…" Talia continued on her rant, stopping only when Alucard raised his hand

"Talia, I believe I understand what you feel…" he began to say, but much to his surprise she spoke over him

"Please don't. There is no need for a Supreme Being to bother himself with my ramblings. I am just being ungrateful for thinking only of myself…" again her words were cut short, this time by Alucard placing his hands on her shoulders

"Listen to what I am saying. The only reason I spend so much time with them, is because they are new here and I want to learn more about them, and I want them to tell me more about this world…"

"T-Then…you are…bored of us…" Talia mumbled, between sobs

"No, Talia. I would never, could never, do such a thing if I wasn't for you I may have never come across Nazarick, if I wasn't for you I may have ended up killing Shalltear…" Alucard lowered his head and began to let out weak laughs

"I-Is something wrong Alucard-sama?"

"I feel like a real bastard right now…" he sighed, looking back up at her

"Please punish me! I was the one that created such feelings inside Alucard-sama, please punish me accordingly." Talia pleaded

"Not happening. Because you are right, I have ignored the three of you because of the new arrivals. For that I'm sorry."

"You mustn't say such things. A Supreme Being can't say those words."

"I honestly don't care what a Supreme Being should say or do. I only want the people that work for me to be happy with their lives." Alucard calmly retorted, using his left hand to clean the tears that were falling from Talia's mask

"After all I've said. I'm unworthy of such words, of such kindness."

"What is it that truly worries you? When you walked in on me and Shalltear sparring, even now when you were bombarding me with questions, you seemed to focus on something. Tell me what is it, tell me what has driven my Bride to such shameful display."

"You truly are merciful, Alucard-sama. To waste your attention on someone as selfish as I am."

"I don't like it when other women, who aren't Touka, are around Alucard-sama. I fear they will steal Alucard-sama from us. I fear Alucard-sama will chose another woman over us, since he doesn't seem all that displeased by the idea of siring an heir with Zesshi…"

Where has she got this idea from, he wasn't going to say he found the half-elf displeasing to the eye, but jumping to the idea of having sex with her Talia was blowing this situation out of proportion. Think about it, this was what she had been doing during this whole conversation, whatever fears had come from him paying more attention to Zesshi and Clementine had now reached a critical and worrying level.

"…I fear Alucard-sama will no longer have a need for us. Alucard-sama is always gone, without him we are of no use to Nazarick, please don't leave us!"

Why did she have to bring this up now, everything was going so well and then she decided to through all of her insecurities at him and was doing a pretty good job of making him feel like scum. His mind went back to when he decided to leave for a while and how he did so only thinking of himself and mostly ignoring the impact it could have on them, and he also thought of how entertaining things had gotten since Zesshi had come along seeing how Talia was he could only imagine how they felt during that time.

"I am such a worthless master…" the True Vampire said

"No…" the Bride was about to say, stopping when he began to pat her head

"We will have to fix this…When we are finished with this mission, tell me what you want I'll give it to you. Also see what Touka and Nyx want, I'll repay the three of you for your hard work."

"Y-Yes, we will have an answer for you once this is done." Talia replied

"Then let's get going."

"As you wish."


	27. Hellhound Unit

Entoma collapsed after what had been a long a brutal battle, before her stood the three women who had managed to accomplish such a feat, even so they were injured themselves.

"We've won!" Gagaran declared

"Stab her in the throat." Tia suggested

"Yes." the other two women agreed

Tia gave them a nod and readied her sword, she began to approach the fallen foe with careful steps, even if the maid had gone down there was the possibility she could still have some trick up her sleeve. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, the way to the maid was no longer free as two individuals now stood in her way, one of them in a suit, the other wore a cloak.

"How about we end this here." the masked figure in the suit spoke

Evileye had her eyes locked on the new arrivals, the man's clothes were strange from what she knew they were more common down south, still that was not what worried her the most it was his overwhelming presence. Trying to somewhat ease her mind, she turned her attention to the other stanger, even with the cloak she could determine that it was female and much like the other her face was covered with a mask, and unlike him the presence wasn't as heavy.

"Are they your relatives?" one of her comrades asked

She only picked up the words not who had said them, at a time like this she was too busy absorbing the nature of the being that stood before them, a monster was not enough to describe him.

"Are you, all right? Leave the rest to me. You go back first to recuperate." he said, his attention focused on the fallen maid

"...Escape! ...Fools, ignore the fact that I am here and listen quietly. That… is an overwhelmingly powerful existence. A monster amongst monsters. No matter what happens behind you, use your full strength to escape." Evileye shouted towards her comrades

"...Then what about you?" Gagaran asked, with a worried tone

"Don't worry about that. I will drag this out until you escape, then immediately use [Teleport] to get out of here."

"Are you ignoring me?" the masked woman spoke, causing a chill to go down Evileye's back

"N-No, we certainly weren't." the small vampire replied, directing her attention to the masked figure

"Then why are you speaking of escaping, while still under my watch?"

The figure's left hand emerged from under the cloak, with it the woman undid two of the three buttons starting from the bottom, the fabric slid back now making it look like a hooded cape, revealing her armor and a small cylindrical object in her right hand.

"I see you are getting ahead of yourself, rookie." the man said, with an amused voice

Evileye turned towards him and was shocked by what she saw, the maid was flying away into the night, the being that they had brought down now was able to make its escape and by doing so leaving them behind to deal with bigger problem.

"It was not my intention, Lord Jaldabaoth." the mask woman said, with a bow

"You've waited long enough. Now then, since time is tight, shall we begin right away?"

"Quick! Escape!" Evileye cried out, and the other members of Blue Rose immediately obliged

"Firstly, don't leave during introductions. It's not that painful, let me block your transfer, [Dimensional Lock]. Giving a greeting before departing is the proper etiquette, and delightful." the masked figure said

"Shall I go after the two runners?"

"Please do."

The masked woman's eyes went straight to her newly acquired target's, she moved slightly to the sides before charging after them. Evileye knew that she had to do something, being the one who had chosen to stay behind there was no other option she had to stop that woman right in her tracks, but then he spoke.

"That would not be an appropriate behavior. Why would you waste your time with a pawn, when the hand is right in front of you?" he hissed

That moment of hesitation was enough for the woman to run pass her, what did he mean with those words? Was this all a game for him, was that woman and the maid nothing else but tools, pawns in his game? Those questions would have to be answered later, for now she would have to do as she had said before, and hold off this demon.

Tia ran with everything she had left in her, being lighter than Gagaran she wasn't worried when her comrade began to fall slightly behind, then the sound of something heavy falling on the ground echoed through the area. She stopped and quickly turned around, Gagaran was on the floor unmoving, and most likely not breathing, standing to her side was that masked woman who in her hand carried a long staff. It was impossible, even after fighting the maid the idea Gagaran could go down with just one blow was unthinkable, true she was hurt from the battle but still one blow should not be enough to kill her.

"I can't believe I have to deal with the weaklings. He could have at least let me fight the midget." the masked figure mumbled, looking down at the fallen member of Blue Rose

"Weaklings? You have not right to say that!" Tia growled back

"Are you strong then?" the woman asked, taking a step over the body and in her direction

"…Of course, I'm strong. I am Tia, an adamantite ranked adventurer and a member of Blue Rose!" the assassin proclaimed, even if her words sounded determined she didn't expect the result of this fight to change

"Forget what Jaldabaoth said. Introducing yourself to your opponent before a fight, you do have some manners. My name is Queen, Hellhound 4."

Was this the name of a guild? Tia shock her head, this was not the time to ponder on such questions, if only had no much energy left and if she was going to win she had to act quickly. Drawing her sword, she took her stance, her plan was simple yet it forced her to wait for her opponent to make the first move, which means if not time perfectly she would be killed before getting any offensive in.

Queen lunged at her, with one swift motion she brought her staff down on Tia giving the Blue Rose her opening, right away she activated [Shadow Clone]. Having the clone take the hit for her, Tia masterfully made her way around Queen her plan being to stab her in the back, it wasn't the most honorable of plans but it was her only option. The fact the staff went through her clone like a knife goes through butter did not bother her, since the only purpose she had for it was to work as bait and with her target distracted Tia went around Queen and rammed the knife through her back.

Or so she thought, indeed it went through the cloak but at the last moment Queen freed herself from it and with a counter cloak wise motion hit Tia in her left side with her staff sending the woman flying into the ground. Tia took deep and long breaths as she looked up at Queen, her ribs were beyond broken at this point so great was the impact, blood was already falling from her mouth, even if she wanted getting back up was not an option. A foot landed on her gut, forcing her to spit out more blood, Queen was standing right over her with an indifferent look in her eyes.

"Boring." were the final words Tia heard, before her foe brought her staff down on her

Queen turned her attention to the other two, much to her surprise the small woman still seemed to be alive even if she was currently on the floor, placing her staff over her right shoulder she began to make her way towards her superior.

* * *

"I see that you are finished." he said, seeing her approach

"Yes, Lord Jaldabaoth."

"Then you can deal with her. I have better things to do than waste my time, on fight."

"But my orders…" Queen pointed out, but was interrupted

"Were to protect me, yes. So, think of this as protecting me so I can go back safely. Understood?"

"Yes." Queen answered with a bow

Evileye rolled on to her belly and began to stagger back to her feet, having heard the conversation and seen the demon leave she now directed her attention to the one who had slaughtered her teammates. She still had some power left, unlike Jaldabaoth this one seemed like a possible win at least that was what her senses told her.

"Are you the one that will break my boredom?" the masked woman asked

"Y-Yeah…that's me…" Evileye replied, still thinking of a plan

"What's your name?"

"What does it matter?"

"It is common courtesy to give one's name before a battle."

"Fine. I am Evileye, an adamantite ranked adventurer and a member of Blue Rose."

"Hellhound 4, Queen."

"[Enhanced Maximize Magic: Crystal Dagger]!"

Evileye wasn't taking any chances, summoning a large crystal dagger she began her attack hoping to hit Queen before she could put up any defenses. The dagger shot forwards with great speed, her opponent did not move and for a moment Evileye hoped that it was too fast for the woman to even react, those hopes quickly came to an end. A blade emerged from the staff, it had now become a scythe, this was followed by a calm downwards motion that sliced clean through the crystal causing it to split into two halves that crashed into the ground behind Queen lifting a large cloud of dust.

Her attack had failed phenomenally, yet Evileye was calmer than one would expect the reason being because she did not see this act as purely a manifestation of Queen's power but rather her power and that of her weapon. Had she taken the attack head on, then she would be more worried from what she saw if she could find a decent opening she could perhaps land a blow on her. That however was the problem, Evileye was practically drained of power the most she could do was one or two attacks and if that did not work, she would be completely hopeless.

"My turn."

Queen lunged at her weakened foe, the blade in her staff retracted back inside indicating she was going for a bludgeoning attack, quickly closing the distance between herself and the smaller woman she swatted at her.

"[Maximize Magic: Shard Buck Shots]!" was her opponents reply

Evileye threw herself into the ground as several small crystals began to bathe Queen, for a moment she thought she had managed to find that opening, once again she was wrong most of the crystals bounced of the woman's armor and after the first hits the simple act of spinning her staff around was enough to block the deadly barrage. Evileye cursed herself, she had wasted what she had left on a pointless attack, now she was face to face with certain death.

"Is that it? How boring." Queen sighed

"I'm coming!"

Something fell between both women, the ground cracked as the object made contact with it and a large cloud of dust lifted into the air. As it began to settle it was revealed that what had in fact fallen from the sky was a tall warrior clad in black armor, a red cape and two imposing swords in each hand.

"You're in the way." were the words that echoed through the area, they came from Queen

"Dark hero! I am Evileye of Blue Rose, and I appeal to you as a fellow adamantite ranked adventurer! Please, aid me!" Evileye quickly interjected

Seeing that she saw this enemy to be far weaker than the demon, surely with the help of another adamantite ranked adventurer at a 100% victory should be possible.

"I understand."

Displaying a confident and assertive tone the hero placed himself truly between them, Evileye for a moment mistook him for a massive wall, because that was what he seemed to be doing shielding her from her opponent.

"I apologize, but it seems that I have no other option then being in your way." Momon remarked, causing the masked figure to simply role her eyes

"If you insist." Queen sighed, and lunged at him

Evileye readied herself for the worst, so far she hadn't seen anyone take this woman's attacks without a scratch which meant probably that would be the fate of the Dark Hero. Queen stopped right in front of the new arrival and spun counter clockwise trying to hit him on the left side of his head, what followed surprised both Evileye and Queen. By simply raising his sword he managed to not only block but stop the masked figure's attack, this caused Queen to leave herself open and not wasting this opportunity Momon dropped his other sword on her.

Acting quickly Queen managed to place her staff in the way, blocking the blade but locking them in a battle of strength, he pushed down on her while she pushed upwards. Evileye couldn't believe what she was seeing, he was easily keeping up with her strength, no to be more precise he was stronger than her. This observation was proven correct when Momon forced Queen to jump away from him, and while he seemed to be calm her breath was already ragged.

"Is this all you've got?" Momon asked

"You dare direct those words to me!?" Queen roared, readying herself for another attack

"He does." another voice spoke, it sent chills down Evileye's very being

* * *

A figure appeared in front of Queen, he didn't fall from the sky, he didn't jump in, he didn't appear through a portal or teleport, he simply appeared in that position. Evileye began to breath at an increasingly fast pace, her skin turned pale, this was not the demon that was an obvious conclusion, as he was wearing the same cloak and mask as Queen, but he felt completely different from the two. If she was to compare him to what she had seen until now, Queen and the maid would be ants, the demon a tree and this a mountain.

"N-Number 1…" Queen mumbled

It seemed her senses were correct, he was stronger than Queen and if she was number 4 and in the demon's words a rookie, for this to be number 1 he must be her leader, but she had called Jaldabaoth Lord, so what was this beings connection with the demon.

"You seem to be in a though spot, number 4. Would you like some assistance?" the masked man asked, never taking his eyes off Momon

"With all due respect sir, go screw yourself." was the reply he got

Evileye was shocked, even if they seemed to be working together for her to show such disrespect towards her superior, wouldn't that be an unwise thing to do. The masked figure let out a weak laugh, before his right arm erupted from under the cloak, grabbing on to Queen's mask, he forcefully pulled her closer to him before he spoke.

"Anything I should take into consideration, rookie?"

"N-No…Not that I've heard…" Queen replied, her voice seemingly filled with dread

"Are you sure?"

"…T-The two I k-killed…they asked if we were h-her relatives…" she added, pointing at Evileye

The look the masked man gave her, made Evileye's skin crawl it wasn't perverted but it was truly twisted, whatever his intentions were, they were not good.

"I see." just like that he let go of Queen

"I'll take it from here. You stay behind and watch."

"Y-Yes, sir."

The masked figure began by removing his cloak, from what Evileye could see his outfit was different from what Queen wore, as in it looked much weaker and of lower quality. The masked figure wore the same mask, his hair was held in a single braid, he wore black pants and boots, his upper body was covered in chainmail except for his right arm, and he wore knuckle less gloves. The thing that got her attention was that he had no weapons with him, was he so powerful that he would be fighting barehanded or did he use magic, if that was the case a warrior like the Dark Hero might be in trouble.

"I'll start with you." the masked being announced, his eyes still on Momon

"I understand. My name is Momon, I am an adamantite ranked adventurer. Who are you?"

"Hellhound 1, Zamiel. Also known as the Black Huntsman."

"What's your objective?" to this Zamiel moved his head slightly to the side, as if not understanding the question

"Do you mean what Jaldabaoth?" he finally replied

"Y-Yes." Evileye said

"He is after an item."

"What if we give that item to you?" Momon suggested

"You should have said that when he was here. I'm not here for negotiations."

"Then, most we be enemies?"

"Yes."

"In that case... you do realize that I will defeat you here?"

"Try your best."

Both men took a step forwards and vanished becoming nothing more than blurs in the eyes of Evileye, the only thing she could fully perceive was every moment Momon's swords made contact with Zamiel's fists. She was at a loss for words, her mind could think of nothing to compare this to, it went beyond any swordsmen she had ever seen, the powerful display managed to move something that had been laying still for over a 100 years, her heart. The confrontation continued, now she did the only thing she could do in the face of such intense situation pray, pray for Momon's victory. Finally, both men landed in the same position they had started at, neither seemed to be the least tiered or injured.

"You fight like a younger man, with nothing held back. Admirable but mistaken." Zamiel remarked, stretching out his arms and legs

What was he talking about, how could Momon be flawed in the way he fought? Evileye was stunned by such words, she had just seen the best display of swordsmanship in her very long life, just for this demon to come and criticize it. How could he say such a thing, from what she could see this fighting style seemed to be a match for him, or was he still holding back.

"You're hiding your power too, aren't you?" Momon asked, ignoring the masked figure's comment

"I am. But are you sure you are up for it?"

"Bring it." Momon answered, taking his stance

Zamiel took his stance, this time it could actually be called a stance, when they first traded blows he was simply standing now he seemed serious, his fists went up and the left leg went to the front. As Evileye wondered if Momon was a God-kin, she was also interested in this stance it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Whenever you are ready." Zamiel hissed

Momon happily obliged, charging at the masked fiend he seemed ready to slice through him, the Dark Hero went for a left slash to which his opponent replied by calmly side stepping and kicking him in the leg. Evileye was terrified, such a simple kick was enough to momentarily stagger Momon disrupting his balance. The Dark Hero quickly composed himself to face his opponent, however this was enough time for Zamiel to examine him and find openings, one elbow hit the Dark Hero in the chin, as he staggered back his opponent's hand wrapped around his head, followed by a knee sending him into the ground right in front of Evileye.

"You are strong, you are fast, and you don't seem to be that much of an idiot. Which is a good thing in this world, it makes up for the fact you are an amateur. I start to get serious, and the only thing you can do is fall down? How disappointing."

"Is that so? Then, why don't you come here and teach me?"

Momon stood up, whatever fate that had been shaken in Evileye was once more reinvigorated, it was the confident tone in his voice, the defiant stance he took in the face of such monstrous foe, these things told her that even if he was an amateur, this fight was far from over.


	28. War in the Streets

Momon staggered back, but so did Zamiel, Evileye felt her heart beating out of her chest when she saw the masked fiend take him down so easily she was ready to say he had lost, even after he got back up she still had that feeling. However, the Dark Hero rose to the challenge, he seemed to be able to adapt at frightening speeds, the fighting style Zamiel deployed which Evileye could not recognize found was now being masterfully countered by Momon.

As they were about to attack each other again a portal opened behind Zamiel and Queen, this surely was a nightmare that was the only thing Evileye could conclude by everything that had happened so far. From within the portal emerged three women wearing similar black armors, and the same masks as the other two, one of them was the size of a child, Evileye's attention went to Queen who seemed to become stiff in the presence of these women, if this was strange Zamiel's reaction was even worse. He turned around to face the new arrival's and much like Queen had done he froze in place, he proceeded to throw himself to the side straighten his posture and place his left hand on his chest, a gestured mimicked by Queen.

"Boss!" they said

The woman in the middle moved her eyes to Zamiel, they moved from him to Momon and Evileye, her gaze transmitted experience and unnatural calm, the complete opposite of what she had seen so far.

"Zamiel, are you having trouble with these humans?" she spoke, her voice matched her gaze

"N-No…He just happens to be stronger than I expected." Zamiel replied, Evileye could sense fear in his voice

"Only that one warrior?" she remarked

"Yes. But if you allow it, I can…" Zamiel began to say, he stopped as soon as her eyes went to him

"If victory is not guaranteed, we can't waste our time with it. Jaldabaoth would not be pleased if you lost, especially so soon into the operation."

"Understood."

"We're falling back for the time being. Number 2 and 3 will take the front, number 4 will come with me and number 1 will cover us."

Soon enough the Hellhound unit vanished into the portal, the group emerged inside an empty and abandoned warehouse, Zesshi let out a tiered sigh acting was more difficult than she expected, seeing how easily Alucard and his Brides could do it surprised her. Especially how Talia and Alucard were able to switch roles so naturally, if she didn't know what was going on, she would believe he was her subordinate.

"What now, boss?" she asked

"We wait till Jaldabaoth gives us any concrete orders. For the time being we can better secure the area, number 2, 3 and 4, search the area, lethal force is authorized if necessary." her superior ordered

"Yes, sir!" the trio replied, vanishing

The remaining duo, calmly made their way outside the building, Alucard was surprised to see how high the flames summoned by Demiurge were and the area they surrounded was also impressive. Thinking back on his fight with Ainz, Alucard was happy with how it went, he believes that the use of his earpieces so he and his comrade could communicate made things incredibly easy for them.

* * *

Alucard and Talia made their way to a plaza where Demiurge was waiting for them, for some time the only thing they did was wait, then a Shadow Demon came to meet Demiurge and whispered something to him.

"They have started to advance. Can I give them their orders?" Demiurge asked, looking at Alucard

"Just this once I'll allow it. But call Zesshi back here."

"Understood."

With that Demiurge sent out the order to freely slaughter all opposition, they were acting as a hostile force, so it only made sense his minions would be trying to kill the humans. The need for this did not please Alucard, especially since he didn't like meaningless killing and the fact Nyx and Touka were among those in the front lines, didn't make it any easier for him.

* * *

Lakyus was in relatively high spirits, she was able to reinvigorate the morale of the group accompanying her. She did this just in time as she could hear the sounds of a large group approaching them, she was ready for whatever came her way, then the sounds shifted becoming lower and lower. Lakyus couldn't believe this they were walking the other way, letting out a sigh she let her body become lighter, this state didn't last long as a figure appeared in the middle of the road not too far from them. The figure was female and was similar to what Evileye had described, she must be one of the members of Hellhound, in her hand was a dead adventurer Lakyus could recognize from before they began this operation.

"Are you one of the members of Hellhound?" she asked, the figure dropped the body

"Hellhound 3, Maria."

"Leader of Blue Rose, adamantite ranked adventurer, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra."

"Blue Rose? Like the ones 4 killed? I hope you are stronger than they were."

"We'll build our defensive line here. The people on the flying disks above will drop into the side roads. Leave the main road to me!" Lakyus roared, ignoring the taunt, even if the foe was a strong they could use their numbers

Lakyus drew her blade, readying herself for the incoming fight, Evileye seemed to believe that if she was at full power defeating Hellhound 4 could be possible for her, however the leader of Blue Rose was unsure if that was true. Standing at a good distance from Hellhound 3, she felt impressive power coming from her, enough power to question if even she could take her on that easily, of course she wasn't as strong as Evileye but she did not believe Hellhound 4 would be that weak compared to 3.

"Aren't you going to draw your weapon?" she asked

"I don't think I will need it." Maria replied

"Ok…So…Whenever you're ready." Lakyus said, not eager to begin this fight

Maria vanished, automatically Lakyus used her swords as a shield, the masked figure appeared before her as soon as she put up her defenses, with a spinning kick Maria broke through the shield and went straight for the kill, being blocked by her opponent's demon sword. The masked figure jumped back, before it could attack a group of 6 adventurers took the liberty of attacking her, the leader of the Blue Rose only had time to blink, when her eyes opened the men were dead their necks sliced open.

"No one else approach her! Use this opportunity to move on ahead." Lakyus roared

"No. Don't run. I can't go after you…" Maria said, in a sarcastic tone

The masked figure lifted her hand and did several gestures with her hand, Lakyus looked around waiting for something to attack her, nothing came she couldn't detect the presence of anything approaching her. From the night sky, several large bat like creatures descended down on her, they moved with perfect organization and focus their aim the adventurers Lakyus had ordered to move out, the beast began to rain lightning down on them soon filling the air with their screams.

"Don't tell me you are surprised? We are not simple minded monsters."

Before the leader of Blue Rose could reply, Maria went back on the offensive throwing several blows at Lakyus, who did her best to block them with her swords. Having made her way through the woman's defenses, Maria tried to cut her throat being stopped by an upwards slash from Lakyus.

"Fire!"

Hearing her command, the swords that were floating around her all shoot in Maria's direction, the masked figure did short work of them dodging or swatting away the projectiles. Maria vanished and reappeared behind Lakyus hitting her in the side with a kick, sending her flying into a nearby house. She began to slowly approach the house, when a barrage of lighting burst out of the building an in her direction, much like everything Lakyus had thrown at her Maria easily avoided it.

Maria turned back to look at the building when she was surprised to see the leader of Blue Rose charging at her, armed only with her cursed sword Lakyus attacked the masked being with renewed vigor, not even bothering to avoid the blows Maria simply clapped her hands together catching the blade mid swing.

"Fire!"

At the sound of her command, her swords flew at Maria using the fact she was occupied with holding her blade, Lakyus used this to land her first hit on her opponent. Like she expected they didn't have any effect on her, but did leave Maria open to her next attack.

"Super skill! [Dark Blade Mega Impact]!"

With a downwards motion she released a dark slashing wave, it hit Maria momentarily stunning the masked fiend, Lakyus let out a sigh of relief as she saw her long awaited for opportunity, commanding her sword she sent them all crashing into her opponent this time sending her into a building. Calling forth another [Dark Blade Mega Impact], she caused a massive explosion and the structure to collapse down on Maria. Letting out a deep breath the leader of Blue Rose slowly recomposed herself, she had lost her floating swords which were now buried under the collapsed building, it was a sizable loss since she wasn't expecting to run into this caliber of enemies so early on.

* * *

The sound of something landing behind her suddenly got her attention, jumping back and turning around as she did so, Lakyus readied herself for another fight. Much to her surprise the new arrival wasn't a foe, but a friend, in the form of Tina, which shockingly was in bad shape. The assassin was bleeding from several cuts, the worst one was on her left arm making nearly useless, engulfed by the worry she felt for her comrade Lakyus rushed to her side.

"W-What happened!?" she asked, even if it was a pointless question

"…S-She killed almost all of them…Some ran away…but she slaughtered all of them…D-Damn bitch…she laughed all the way through it…And when she saw who I was…she took her time, letting me escape after the explosion that came from here…" Tina mumbled, falling on her knees

"Who, did this to you? Was it another one of the Hellhounds?" Lakyus asked, placing a hand on her comrade's back

"Y-Yes…Hellhound 2…" Tina's words were cut short by another voice, it was soft, calm and in a way almost childlike

"Rose." it said

Lakyus eyes darted to the sword of the voice, going to the top of a nearby building she saw a small figure standing on it, it looked like a child version of Maria, at first glance the first thing felt was sick. The figure was completely covered in blood, which only made her believe Tina's words even more, definably this was the look of a creature who had taken out a large group of adventurers with her bare hands.

"There you are, I was wondering where you had run off to. I was having so much fun playing with you, why did you run?" Rose asked, jumping to the streets bellow

"Get away from me." Tina hissed

"There is no need to be so mean, those are just flesh wounds." Rose remarked, with an innocent chuckle

"Y-You…bitch…" Tina mumbled

"Fall back! You are in no condition to fight, I'll cover you." Lakyus said, placing herself between Tina and Rose

"W-What? You'll be killed!"

"Weren't you fighting Maria's target?" Rose asked, tilting her head to the right

"Y-Yes. That was me." Lakyus replied, taking her stance

"Where is she?" Rose asked with an innocent tone, looking around

"I beat her. What's left of her is under that building." an obvious lie, since Lakyus was certain Maria wasn't dead, but this could help her get the upper hand against Rose

Much to her surprise, and horror, Rose wasn't affected at all, no she was happy cheering over what Lakyus hoped were demoralizing news.

"That means I get you two all for myself!"

"Alright here I come." with that Rose vanished

Lakyus braced herself, she felt a drop of sweat roll down her face, she had completely lost trace of the masked figure. A gust of wind passed by her and for a moment she ignored it, till something hot began to roll down the left side of her face, her hand went up to it touching the source of the heat she felt a liquid, most likely blood.

"1-0." Rose chuckled, appearing behind her

Tina tried to sneak attack Rose, while she was distracted with Lakyus, but like all those times before her blade only managed to cut through an afterimage of the child, who would then give her another shallow cut in reply.

"That would be…30-0? I think I lost count half way through our game." Rose remarked

Lakyus turned around going for a downwards slash, Hellhound 2 vanished letting the blade it the ground reemerging on top of the blade, giving the leader of Blue Rose a mocking bow, Rose jumped back to near the collapsed building.

"You can come on out now, Number 3."

The rocks holding the Hellhound down were pushed forth in every direction, Lakyus felt her heart sink she was honestly hoping that the collapsed building would have worked as a more efficient prison. Maria calmly emerged from under the rocks, dusting herself as she did so, before taking her place to Rose's right.

"I see I am not the only one interested in playing." Rose said, sarcastically

"I was bored." Maria hissed back

"Is that why you let yourself be trapped under a house, and then stay there?"

"Let's just end this."

"But there are more of them coming." Rose said, pointing to something behind Blue Rose

The adventurers turned to where the smaller fiend was pointing, their eyes grew wide as they saw a large group of guards marching towards them, guards lead by nonother than Gazef Strolonoff.

"That's a small army." Maria pointed out

"That's too many people, for me to have any proper fun…" Rose sighed

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the stronger enemies?"

"That could be fun." Rose replied, her interest peaked

"Let's call some ground forces then, they can deal with the smaller fries."

"Fine."

Both members of the Hellhound unit jumped to nearby buildings, motioning their hands into the street below a portal began to form, it first ripped through the air and then forcefully opened creating a massive tear in space, soon enough a horde of demons began to emerge from within, the number was so great at times the portal was blocked by their numbers. As Lakyus watched this she came to a frightening conclusion, the reason she had only been fighting the two members of Hellhound and no demons, was because they were waiting to be called upon, and with the arrival of Gazef and the others not only would they have to deal with Hellhound but also a demon army.


	29. Operation End

Momon, Nabe and Evileye landed in front of Jaldabaoth, surprisingly the demon was alone which further unnerved Evileye. The fact he was alone was the sign that this was an obvious trap, directing her attention to their surroundings she began to scan the area for any signs of enemies. From a house adjoining the plaza, the maid from before emerged she was then followed by four other individuals in maid costumes and masks, Evileye felt sweet roll down her face, not only were they opposed by the demon, the Hellhound unit, but also a group of five maids with power to rival her own.

She then felt something, it was a feeling akin to her heart stopping, the reason she felt this was brought about by the thing that appeared on the corner of her eye, turning to the side opposing the maids she came face to face with the Hellhound unit. She could recognize Queen, Zamiel, and the woman that had enough power to call him off, they were effectively out numbered. Their only hope was in their plan, the target was Jaldabaoth since they concluded he was the force driving the invading army, they believed that his defeat could lead to the army crumbling and hopefully retreating, it was a basic cut off the head and the body will die mentality.

"Then I will leave the rest of them to you." Momon announced, making his way towards the Demon Lord

"How intriguing." Jaldabaoth chuckled, clasping his hand together

"Are you perhaps under the impression my defeat will bring about your victory?" he asked, his words filled with poison and mockery

Momon stopped mid step, Evileye could feel her breath began to become faster and faster, this was suicide, since its creation the plan was nothing more than a glorified suicide mission. Seeing how Momon was able to fight with Zamiel, it was possible he could fight and beat Jaldabaoth. It was nothing more than speculation that his defeat would drive away his army, however she did not expect the demon to react like he did, it looked like he welcomed the idea, no he looked overjoyed by it.

"Let's see here…" the fiend spoke, positioning his hand as if he was holding cards

"I have the Hellhound Unit, those maids, and an army numbering over a 1000 strong. What do you have?" as he spoke, Evileye could feel his gaze on her

"One, perhaps two, aces? I have to admit, I like those odds." his eyes went to Momon and Nabe

For a moment there was silence, Evileye could feel all eyes on her be it friend or foe their gazes were locked on her. She wondered why didn't Momon say something, surely someone as strong as he was, who was unmoved by fear could say something in a situation like this. The realization of why he was silent fell on her with the weight of the world, she was the one representing humanity, it wasn't Momon their strongest warrior, it was her and the one to make that decision was the demon himself. Had Momon spoken, it would have made her look weak and by extent the one's she represented, even if Momon was stronger and perhaps could beat him, that was a later matter. At that moment, she was the one doing battle with Jaldabaoth, a mental battle that is, and she found herself unable to one up her opponent's attack.

"You choose to remain silent? I see, a good listener, I can appreciate that. Then what if I make a proposition?" the demon's face twisted into a grin under his mask

"I'll make it very simple to understand, which means I expect an answer. I'll place the faith of this city on the hands of Momon and Zamiel. I'll allow them to continue and finish their match from before, what happens after it ends will depend on the winner." Jaldabaoth said, in a smooth fashion

"W-What will the winner get?" Evileye managed to ask

"Simple, they will be fighting for this city." the member of Blue Rose felt a chill go down her spine, he spoke as if betting a city was nothing

"You win, me and my forces leave, and establish peace between both sides, at least for the time being. We win, I expect you to be a good loser and let us do what we wish. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"

"No! W…" Evileye was ready to spit the proposition back at him, but was stopped by Momon who placed a hand on her shoulder

"Momon-san?" she asked, looking up at the man not understanding why he had stopped her, he kneeled next to her and whispered

"Agree to his terms."

"But…" he interrupted her once more

"I had him beat the first time we meet. Nothing has changed since then, say yes and leave the rest of the work to me."

She looked into his eyes, which were covered by his helmet, she couldn't see what his expression was but from the tone of his voice it was as if he was saying "put your faith on me". The thought alone was enough to make her heart race, like never before, tightening her fists she looked up at the demon and announced her decision.

"I agree to your terms."

Suddenly the room was filled with a low and polite laughter, it almost seemed forced, it came from the maids and the Hellhound Unit, Jaldabaoth himself was contempt with a slow, yet polite, clap.

"You heard her, we will settle this with a match between Momon and Zamiel. I think it is obvious that no one is permitted to interrupt them, or help, them while they are fighting…" he paused, letting his right index finger fall on Evileye and Nabe

"The rest of you are allowed to play with those adorable things over there." having made his wishes known the Demon Lord vanished

* * *

Momon and Zamiel walked off to start their duel away from the others, Nabe and Evileye found themselves surrounded by 7 powerful opponents. Evileye was truly terrified, she had underestimated Jaldabaoth's forces to the point it could prove to have been a fatal mistake, to think they would have to deal with such great and powerful numbers was beyond what she had imagined. She could feel the maid's eyes on her, surely after revenge for what she had done to their comrade, readying herself Evileye was ready for their attack, before anyone moved the area was drowned by the commanding voice that came from behind her.

"Leave her to us. Deal with the other one." commanded the masked woman, whose power was so great she could control Zamiel

"Nabe…" the member of Blue Rose began to say, but was interrupted by the person she was about to address

"I'm fine with these numbers. They chose you, there is nothing that can be done."

Evileye gave her a weak nod, she was speaking the truth in the end the ones with the ability to choose were their enemies, given their greater numbers, taking a few steps away from Nabe she stood defiantly before Hellhound.

"I, Evileye from Blue Rose, will be your opponent." she proclaimed, showing the enemy her resolve

"You already meet Queen, then allow me to introduce myself. Hellhound 0, Sina."

"A-Are you stronger than Zamiel?"

Evileye couldn't hold herself back, the fact that she could possibly be fighting someone stronger than Momon's opponent was impossible for her to rationalize.

"I can see how you think that, but no I am not, if we are scaling the members of Hellhound by their power, I would be number 3…" Sina was interrupted by Evileye

"Then why? Why does he obey someone who's weaker than him!?"

She did not understand this, because this was a paradox only found in human society where a weaker man could rule over those stronger than him, the idea of seeing this from demons was impossible in her mind.

"For you, who most likely sees us as nothing more than demons, fiends, who came here to slaughter you just for the fun of it. For someone so simple, I understand why you would make that question, you are simply too naïve to think outside of your beliefs. He follow's me for the same reason the rest of Hellhound does, because I am superior to them, not physically, but mentally. They reach the peak of their strength, however they are nothing more than savages, diamonds in the rough, they come to me so I can even out those edges and make them into true works of art."

Evileye felt herself be swept away by the genuine emotion Sina placed behind her words, she felt her heart waver, just for a few moments, even when she saw the Hellhounds before she had not thought that much into it. Hearing those words now she saw the truth, this was not just a simple Demon Lord with an army, this was something similar to an actual military, an army and within that army a group that dealt with the messier jobs, the elites. In other words, sentient beings, like her or Gazef, not simple beasts following their master's orders.

"Can I start this, or not?" Queen asked, summoning her scepter

"Just a moment. I have one final question." Sina's eyes went back to Evileye

"I was informed of something your comrades said when you first meet us. If I remember correctly it was something like "Are they your relatives"."

Evileye froze in place, her eyes grew wide, she had hoped they would have forgotten about that little joke, but the way Sina was looking at her, as if her mask wasn't even there, told her that the joke just became serious.

"Even if my senses tell me you are human. I am curious to know, could it be I am being misled?"

The member of Blue Rose gritted her teeth, why weren't they attacking? She could hear Momon and Zamiel's duel, and also Nabe fighting the maids. Then why was she the only one being interrogated, from what she understood Hellhound's goal was to keep her away from Momon, then why not try and take her out?

"With all due respect, Boss. But should we be fighting her?" Queen pointed out

"You are eager for a pointless fight. Don't you think it is more important for us to find out what she truly is? She could be our new recruit." Sina replied

"I-I understand, but…" Queen tried to argue, but her superior raised her hand to silence her

"But your ego can't handle it, correct?"

"M-My apologies." Queen said, lowering her head

"Now then, would you like to tell us what this is all about? I am curious to know what you are." Sina said, slowly making her way towards Evileye

"You want to know what I am? Then I propose you this, beat me and I will tell you." Evileye informed

"I see we are dealing with an idiot. So be it, Queen we'll start things off easy, we'll attack her one at a time. You go first."

Evileye activated her ace in the hole and threw herself back as Queen charged at her, firing a barrage of crystals she hoped they would have the wanted effect on her opponent. However Queen's skill with her scepter proved to be too grate, the masked figure easily swatted most crystals to the side or simply dodged them. Queen stopped about 5 meters from Evileye and then stopped, this surprised the magic caster till Sina jumped up from behind her subordinate, rocketing down towards her.

Taking to the skies she avoided a punch from Hellhound 0, her sigh of relief was replaced by a terrified gap as she saw the ground cracking under the power of the blow, distancing herself from two opponents that seemed to be experts in close combat was her best option at victory.

"Bring her down here." Sina ordered

Queen lifted her left arm in her direction and from her wrist gauntlet fired a black cable that ended in a hook. Evileye easily avoided the projectile, however Queen was more than ready for this possibility with a simple motion of her arm she brought the hook back in her target's direction wrapping the cable around Evileye's left leg.

"What!?" was all she could say when the cable began to be pulled back into the gauntlet, at a speed and force she could not fight against

Crashing into the floor at full force, thanking her vampire nature for being able to survive the fall, Evileye hoped her [Crystal Wall] would protect her while she composed herself. Sina charged at her once more, the member of Blue Rose tried to escape her but her body did not react as soon as she hoped, Talia delivered a blow her creator had called One Inch Punch, making contact with the barrier it shattered.

"Im…" Evileye gasped, being cut mid-sentence by a devastating blow by Queen's scepter

The small vampire hit the ground hard, rolling several meters away from her two foes, looking up at them she let out a low laugh. She had once considered that at full power, beating Queen could be feasible however after taking that one hit her mind was completely changed, the strength of the rookie was beyond her own. Her hand went to her left side, her ribs were broken, and her opponents had only gotten started.

"Would you like to speak with us now?" Sina asked

"…You…haven't beaten me yet!" Evileye growled back

"Such passion. Continue with the current strategy, target her mask, I want to see what is under it." Hellhound 0 instructed

"You want to see it? Then come and get it. [Sand Field…"

Once more she was cut off, this time by Sina kicking a piece of the floor at her, Evileye barely dodged the incoming debris by throwing herself to the side. Did they know and feared that spell, how could that be if she was the one to invent it? Her enemies didn't give her much time to think as Queen charged at her once more, Evileye took her stance and prepared to attack the incoming foe, being fully focused on Queen she did not sense Sina approaching her from the right. It was too late when she did, a devastating kick hit her in the side of the head, sending her flying several meters away from the duo, hitting the ground she heard her mask began to crack. The impact had been so great that even after she hit the ground, Evileye did not sense the tremor that went through the ground.

* * *

Ainz and Alucard crashed into a house during their struggled, Ainz was the first to get up his comrade did the same shortly after.

"Demiurge's waiting for you through that door." Alucard informed, stretching his back

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here, beat myself up so the finish will look convincing. Speaking of which give me on of your swords."

"What for? Are you planning to cut yourself?" Ainz asked

"Had it been a fist fight I would have no need to do that. But now is not the time to argue, give me the sword and go talk with him."

Ainz let out a less than happy sigh and gave him one of his swords, he then walked off into the small room, Alucard let out a breath of his own and began to do what he had to. He began by breaking off part of his mask, revealing a little part of his face but not enough so one could identify him, he then sliced off parts of his chainmail and pants, all the while making shallow cuts on his own body. After he was done he scattered those pieces across the battlefield, in case anyone would go and investigate the scene after they were done, in the end he was satisfied with the result. Jack had been tasked with doing many things during his career, to the point the idea of a stage fight wasn't alien to him, the only difference was that normally he would have to bruise himself.

Shortly after Ainz emerged from the room, which meant there was only one thing left before the operation could come to an end, he would need to damage Ainz's armor.

"Alucard-san, what have you done?" Ainz asked, seeing the several shallow cuts that covered his friends body

"Don't worry. Now stand still, while I put a few dents in your armor."

"Just be careful." Alucard smiled under his mask before he replied

"I always am."

* * *

Evileye was back to back with Nabe, both women showed the clear signs of a long and painful battle, the member of Blue Rose was drained but physically and mentally, she believed that that must be the case for Nabe. Even if she could be a God kin, like Momon, from her appearance Evileye was sure the battle had not been easy for her.

All eyes went to the sound of something crashing into the floor not too far from them, Evileye's grew wide, her body was filled with joy when she saw Zamiel's damaged form on the cold floor. Standing from where he was thrown was Momon, he too showed signs of a long and devastating duel, he was slowly walking towards his fallen foe. Zamiel staggered back to his feet, Evileye could see that he was making his last stance, the Hellhound took his stance and seemed to wait for Momon to get closer. The adventurer did not back down, he began to run towards his weakened foe at full force, throwing his swords to the side he seemed to want to end their duel with his bare hands, in what would be a true sign of his superiority.

Once Momon got close Zamiel went for a right hand, this time Momon was ready masterfully dodging the blow he hit an elbow on his chin sending Zamiel staggering backwards. Momon was not finished, grabbing on to the sides of his head he drove his opponent's face into his rising knee, delivering a blow powerful enough to send a motion less Zamiel into the ground.

"He…He did it!" Evileye shouted, unable to hold back her excitement

Momon was looking over his fallen foe, when Jaldabaoth descended upon them giving the Dark Hero a congratulatory applause.

"Very good, very good. I hadn't had this much fun in years." he said, looking over Zamiel's body

"I won the duel. Will you keep your side of the deal?" Momon asked

"Of course. Miss Sina, if you will call back your people."

"Understood."

"And you get back up."

Evileye couldn't believe what she was seeing, Zamiel was moving even after taking a blow that she was certain broke his neck, the Hellhound slowly began to stagger back to his feet. A few moments later a portal opened next to them, from which emerged the two other Hellhounds, the job of helping Zamiel walk was taken by two of the maids. After all of the Demon Lord's elites were present they all gathered around their master, who before leaving said a few words.

"I commend all of you for your effort. I hope we get to repeat this little game in the future." with that they were gone

* * *

They arrived back in the Amphitheatrum, first thing Alucard did was politely dismiss the two maids helping him, even if they were worried about his condition he told them it was nothing serious.

"Demiurge what do you think? How did it go?" Alucard asked, removing his mask as he approached the demon

"It went very well, Alucard-sama. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't say that it went as well as it did thanks to your help." Demiurge replied

"Don't down play your part in this. This was your mission and you saw it through with success. I'm sure Ainz won't overlook such great service."

"You humble me with such word, Alucard-sama."

Having spoken with Demiurge, Alucard made his way towards Mare.

"Good work out there, Mare." he said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder

"A-Alucard-s-sama, t-there is no need to s-say such things. I-I am unworthy."

"Nonsense. You were a key piece of this operation, and you carried that role out like a professional. So, don't go and say you are unworthy, because you have proven to me, to Nazarick, that you are everything but that."

"T-Thank you." Mare said, taking several nervous and respectful bows

Alucard then turned his attention to the ones he was still unsure of how to address, his Brides and Zesshi, after his conversation with Talia before the second phase of their mission he didn't really know what do to next.

"Perhaps we should go back to my room. Being my personal subordinates, I would like to complement you somewhere quieter." he suggested

"Alucard-sama!" another voice called out to him, it was Shalltear

"Yes?" he asked, looking back at her

"I saw you praising Demiurge and Mare for their work, what about me?" Shalltear looked like a kid trying to get their parent's approval

"You did good. You managed to keep yourself under control and fulfill Demiurge's rules without incident. You should be very proud of yourself, that is great progress." Alucard replied, causing the female vampire's face to turn bright red

"Thank you, Alucard-sama." she said, with a deep bow

"Now, Nyx can you open a portal back to my room."

"Your room? Can I go too?" Shalltear eagerly asked

"I apologize but no." Alucard replied

"…I understand." the female vampire said in a strangely low tone, walking away

* * *

Alucard, his Brides and Zesshi walked into his room, taking off what remained of his chain mail, Alucard placed it and his mask on top of his desk, facing his subordinates they had removed their own masks, and his Brides had also lowered their hoods.

"I see you had fun, Nyx." he remarked, noting how she was covered in gore

"Y-Yes. My apologies, if I went overboard, it wasn't my wish to displease you." she said, going for a bow, but was stopped by Alucard who raised his hand

"No need. You were acting under Demiurge's instructions and the character we chose for you, so it is justified."

"Thank you."

"Everyone go take a shower, change, clean your equipment and put it all away. You have one hour to do all of this, when the time is up return here and we will discuss what to do next." his eyes went to Talia as he spoke

"But Alucard-sama your cuts, shouldn't we treat them?" Talia asked

"They aren't serious, I can do it myself. Now go freshen up, you've earned it, you all have."

"Thank you." the four women said, taking a bow and leaving


	30. The Simple Things

Alucard was finishing putting his equipment away and sending the damaged one to be repaired, putting his usual clothes back on he looked around to see what he would do while he waited for the others to return. He had decided to go do some exercises in his training room when someone knocked at his door, adjusting his trench coat so his body wouldn't be too exposed, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary scenes, Alucard opened the door revealing Sebas and Tsuare, who was holding a tray.

"I apologize for the disturbance, Alucard-sama. I told her it wouldn't be appropriate to interrupt you at that time, but Tsuare insisted. I greatly apologize, but I was…unable to stop her." Sebas explained, taking several bows as he spoke

The Supreme Being looked down at the young girl's face, then back at Sebas, indeed it made perfect sense that Sebas was unable to stop her from doing whatever she wanted to do. It was humorous how Sebas seemed to have genially affection towards Tsuare, not wanting to be the one to stop them he decided to play along.

"Well then, what can I do for you today, Tsuare?" Alucard asked, looking down at her

The girl immediately placed herself on one knee, extending the trey towards Alucard offering it to him, taking a better look at its contents he saw plate and silverware, on the plate was something he could identify as meat stew.

"T-Thank you, Alucard-sama!" she said, keeping her head lowered, eyes on the floor

"For what?" the vampire asked, truly not understanding why she was thanking him

"I told her how Alucard-sama put in a good word for the both of us. For that Tsuare wanted to thank Alucard-sama, she wanted to present Alucard-sama with her cooking."

"Stand." the vampire commanded, and Tsuare obliged

"Come in. Please place the trey on the desk." Alucard said, motioning them both to enter

Placing the trey at on the desk, Tsuare joined Sebas by the door, Alucard walked up to the trey and began to eye the meal, taking the fork he moved around some of the pieces of meat letting the smell rise to his nostrils.

"Tsuare, I heard you were working as a temporary maid under Sebas."

"Y-Yes, Alucard-sama. I am very thankful for the opportunity, I am very happy."

"I hope he has been treating you accordingly." Alucard moved his eyes towards Sebas

"Of course, Alucard-sama. I have done my best…" Sebas quickly explained, pausing when his master lifted his hand

"Calm down Sebas. I am well aware that you would never harm her, it is expected that you would treat her properly." the vampire chuckled, using his fork to pick up one of the pieces of meat

Placing it in his mouth, Alucard chewed the meat a few times before swallowing it, placing the fork back down on the plate, he turned his attention towards Tsuare, who seemed to flinch with every bite he took.

"Now, this has a very different taste from what one usually eats at Nazarick."

"Tsuare cooks mostly home-made meals." Sebas pointed out

"My apologies if it is not to your liking, Alucard-sama."

Tsuare moved towards the desk, her objective to remove the meal that in her view had insulted the Supreme Being from his presence, her arms extended towards it when Alucard's hand fell on her head, Tsuare's body froze under his touch.

"Alucard-sama, I apologize if Tsuare's actions were rash. I promise she meant no offense." Sebas quickly explained, Alucard simply moved his head to the sides

"I already told the both of you to calm down. The stew is delicious, I wish I could cook something as good as this." Alucard let out a weak laugh, this time having a fork fool of the stew

"A-Alucard-sama c-cooks?" Tsuare managed to ask

"Of course I do, if one spends as much time out in assignments as I did, cooking skills are necessary. Shame that my attempts at such elaborate meals never come out this well." Alucard replied, scratching the back of his head with a strangely human expression

"Alucard-sama, I don't wish to interrupt but there was another reason I wanted to come here." Sebas announced, his expression turned more serious

"I see it is serious. I'm listening."

"On the last day we spent in the capital, Ainz-sama ordered us to tie up all loose hands. While we were going through the streets a man approached us. He introduced himself as a vampire hunter, and he asked us if we had seen or knew anything about a vampire called Alucard. He showed us a depiction of the vampire, a-and it matched Alucard-sama."

"What did you tell him?" Alucard asked

"That we knew nothing about the subject and he seemed satisfied with our answer." Sebas replied

"Can you tell me what he looked like?"

"He seemed to be around 30 years old, slightly tanned skin, medium sized light brown hair, blue eyes and some facial hair. Dark grey coat, matching pants, and black shoes. White gloves, a silver cross necklace, a briefcase and spectacles."

"Did he give you a name?"

"A-Abraham... Abraham Van Helsing." Alucard's eyes widened in surprise

"Do you know him, Alucard-sama?" the butler enquired, seeing his master's reaction

"The name is familiar, however I have never interacted with anyone holding that name. He didn't mention who gave him my description?"

"I tried to ask, but he dismissed us and walked away. We would have done something, but in a heavily crowded street it would have blown our cover."

"I understand perfectly, you had more important matters to take care off at the time. From what you told me, it doesn't seem like he knows about anything concrete, or any connection between us. Have you told Ainz about this?"

"I was waiting for his return, but…" Alucard finished his sentence

"He still has things to finish up after this mission, he won't be back so soon. But I can try contacting him via Message. For now, you are dismissed, please take the trey with you." Alucard moved to the side of his bed

"Thank you, for your time, Alucard-sama." Tsuare said, picking up the trey

"Don't mention it. I'll be waiting for the next time that I'll be able to taste one of your homemade meals."

"I-If I may a-ask. Are you happy with them? A-Ainz-sama and D-Demiurge-sama, both seemed dissatisfied with my limited cooking skills." Tsuare asked, shyly

"Of couse I am, you are a great cook. And you can ignore Demiurge when it comes to your cooking, and I'm sure Ainz would agree if he had taste buds. Now, you two should get going I have things to take care of."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama. I am honored by such kind words." Tsuare said, taking one final bow before leaving with Sebas

* * *

Alucard let out a tiered sigh and sat on his bed, he was unsure if he would be able to contact Ainz since his comrade should be busy, still he tried.

[Alucard-san?] Ainz asked from the other side

[It's me.]

[How are you? I mean the last time I saw you, you didn't look so good.] Ainz was referring to the several cuts Alucard inflicted upon himself

[To be honest I'm kinda sore. You know since, someone doesn't know how to hold his punches.] Alucard remarked, a weak laugh came from the other side

[I take it you are referring to me. I'm sorry about that, I guess I really don't have that much self-control, when it comes to holding back but still making it look realistic.]

[That type of control comes with experience. I don't know what type of training you have been doing, but you should look into that, it may be needed in the future.]

[Noted, Alucard-san. Perhaps you could help me, I mean what you did out there was very impressive. The idea of communicating via your earpieces was also pretty good, if we hadn't used them, I would have been in some trouble when you brought martial arts into the mix.] Ainz said

[S-Sure, I think I can help you out with some training. Now that I think about it, you crossed blades with Zesshi, correct? What did you think.] from the other side came another nervous laugh

[I have to be honest, for a moment I was worried. When my blade meet her staff, I was surprised by the fact she didn't budge with the initial clash. I mean I was holding back, but still caught me by surprise, for a moment I was worried she wasn't informed about how things would play out.] Alucard couldn't help but laugh

[So, she's still that strong even without her items…Interesting. How are things on your end?]

[Everything is going smoothly, considering in what state you left this place in. B-But if I was to mention anything strange it would be…Evileye…]

[From Blue Rose? Do tell.]

[I don't know how to describe it…Clingy, maybe that's not the best word to describe it. I just don't think that's how she normally acts.]

[I see. I wonder what Albedo would think of this.]

[W-What do you mean?]

[From what you are telling me. I believe that my guildmaster has another woman after his "heart". It would only be in Albedo's best interest to know about this.]

[Don't you start with this, Alucard-san!] the vampire laughed at his sudden outburst

[I won't. But it does sound, she may be interested in you…] Alucard paused

[But that is not why I called. Sebas came to me, and informed me that a vampire hunter is looking for me.]

[What?]

[I was as surprised as you are. From what he told me there is no reason to worry, he is only looking for me. Either way it is strange that someone would send a hunter after me, I'm sure I have left the best of impressions when I went out.]

[Are you sure? There may be someone who found out you were a vampire and not be pleased with it.] Ainz pointed out

Alucard began to think back of the times he went out, he didn't think the Theocracy would just hire a vampire hunter to go and find him, the rest of the people he had come across were either dead, nothing bad had happened between them, or didn't seem to have the money to hire someone to go after him.

[I think I know who might have hired him. If I go by what you said, it could be Alexa's father. When I took her back home, he came to meet us with his guards and didn't trust me even when it was obvious I had no ill intentions.]

[Alexa? The girl you saved?]

[Yes. Now that I think about it, she did mention her father knowing a vampire hunter, but she didn't remember his name. It is possible it was the same person.]

[Did Sebas get his name?]

[He did, that's the funniest thing about all of this. His name is Abraham Van Helsing.]

[Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter?]

[I thought the same thing. I wonder if it is just a coincidence, or something left behind by someone like us, or even he is someone like us.] Ainz didn't reply right away

[The person you think hired him, can you find him?]

[Of course.]

[Then do so. If there is the possibility this vampire hunter, is like us make sure you don't burn any bridges. He could be useful, and the idea of there being others like us across this world, is a comforting feeling.]

[Don't worry, Ainz. You are talking to a professional. I would go there now, but there has been a setback.] Alucard sighed loudly

[Is it something serious?]

[I wouldn't say that. It's just that Talia won't give me a break, to be fair I understand and agree with her, but still she doesn't let it go.]

[What doesn't she let go?]

[The time I spend away from them, or that I pay too much attention to the people I bring in.]

[I am surprised that she is that open with you. Most NPCs are never that vocal with me, even when I give them permission. But they were always a strange group…] Alucard spoke over him

[You're calling my Brides strange?]

[N-No, nothing like that. Well I'm just saying that from what I saw, even if I'm sure the NPCs miss their creators I have never really seen any of them showing it, for the most part they seemed happy with me still being here. That was not the case with your Brides, it is true I didn't go search for them, but from the day we arrived here to the day you were found, I only saw them on that final day. And unlike the others it was visible that they had been crying, from their look they could have been crying during all that time.]

[…I-I understand…I'll go see Alexa's father during the night, I'll tell you something then.]

* * *

As Alucard was ending the Message, his Brides and Zesshi returned to his room ready to continue where they had left off. Perhaps it was because of his expression, or Talia simply knew him that well, because the first thing she said when she walked in was.

"Do you have to go somewhere again, Alucard-sama?" she asked, her expression didn't show any hurt feelings but it broke his heart

"Yes. A situation has arisen, and I have to go look into it." Alucard replied, getting up from his bed

"We understand." with a bow, she walked to the side of the door followed by the others

"But it can wait." his words painted the faces of his Brides with shock

"B-But Alucard-sama, shouldn't you go…" Talia tried to argue, but he raised his hand to silence her

"I have things to do before that."

"I apologize." the oldest bride said

"First of all, Zeshi you did good work out there."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama."

"To be honest I thought if something was going to go wrong, it would be on your end, elf. But outside of the fact, you seemed to a little too over invested in your fight with Evileye, everything went well."

Zesshi let out a low growl in reply, she wasn't "over invested", she simply didn't like to leave fights unfinished even if they were an easy win. Surprisingly even if the joy that came from winning was now greatly diminished for her, it was still there, and she enjoyed every time she could feel it.

"I'm glad, I did not disappoint." Zesshi said, in a flat tone

"There is no need to take that tone. I'm being honest, you did good out there. I'm also happy that you managed to work as a team with the others, since I understand that wasn't how you used to work before."

His words were simple, but even Zesshi could tell they were honest and meaningful, so much so she couldn't help but feel a bit of unwanted heat rise up to her cheeks. It was a strange sensation, something she hadn't felt in years, someone praising her skills, truly praising them and not just pointing out something she already knew.

"You are dismissed. You have until nightfall to deliver your field report."

"R-Report?" she asked

"Yes. Are you not familiar with them?"

"Somewhat."

"No need to worry. I will have someone go and help you soon enough."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama." taking a bow, Zesshi left

"The observations I have for Touka and Nyx are the same. The both of you did great work keeping the human forces away, the fact we didn't lose many of the demons that were summoned shows you were not playing around, I appreciate it."

"We are unworthy of such praise, Alucard-sama." Touka said, with a bow

"We would never play around during a mission." Nyx added, with a bow of her own

"True enough. Even so, I think I should mention it, I would say more but I was busy fighting Ainz so I only picked up some of what you did."

"Any praise from you Alucard-sama, is more than enough for us." Touka remarked

"I see. Then we move on to Talia, or should I say Boss?" Alucard asked, with a small chuckle

"Like I said I was fighting with Ainz, but I did manage to listen to that small speech you gave Evileye. I have to say it was pretty good, I'm not afraid to admit that you caught me off guard with it."

"I am unworthy of such praise, Alucard-sama. I am still lacking."

"My apologies, but I find that hard to believe. Let's talk about the role I gave you to perform, that of Sina leader of the Hellhound unit, if I remember correctly you were afraid that it was not suited correct?"

"Y-Yes. I could not imagine myself giving order's to Alucard-sama, even if it was part of the mission."

"But like I expected of you, like I expected from all of you, like a true professional you saw your mission through. Very good work, that goes for all of you."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama!" the Brides said, with a bow

"Now for the reason I sent Zesshi away. Talia, I take it you told them about what we spoke."

"I did, Alucard-sama."

"Then who wants to go first?"

Touka and Nyx looked up at Talia, there was something in her look a hidden determination decorated it, it told her sisters that she had changed her mind and had chosen something else to ask of Alucard, something that most likely would affect them.

"I guess, the two of us should have put on some underwear after all." Touka said, hitting Talia in the side with her elbow

"Underwear?" Nyx asked, seemingly innocent of the situation

"D-Don't say such things, Touka!" Talia protested

Alucard lowered his head, what were the two of them planning to ask of him? No, the answer was obvious, the question should be why were they going to ask such a thing from him. Certainly, there were other things Talia and Touka would want to ask of him, at least Nyx wasn't in on their plan, if she was he definably wouldn't be able to go through with it.

"Alucard-sama, please ignore Touka's ramblings." Talia said

"B-But it was your idea!" Touka remarked, causing Talia's face to turn bright red

"That's not true…"

"I don't mean to rush, but I'm waiting. Or do the two of you need time to put on some…underwear?" Alucard asked, his head still lowered

"W-We apologize, for our unbecoming behavior, Alucard-sama. However, I have changed my mind about what I wanted to ask."

"And I take it that I will affect the rest of us?" Touka asked

"Y-Yes…"

"If it is what I think it is, I don't mind asking for the same thing." Nyx informed

"Same here." Touka added

"Please take us with you, Alucard-sama?" Talia asked

"Are you sure? Touka, Nyx, are you sure this is what you want? Isn't there anything else you would like to ask of me? Like I told Talia, whatever you want I will give."

"I'm sure." Touka replied

"I just want to be with Otō-san."

Alucard let out a defeated smile, given what Talia had told him he shouldn't be surprised that all of them would agree upon the idea of simply spending time with him.

"Then the three of you will be accompanying me on this assignment. For now your order's are the same as Zesshi's, you have till nightfall to do your field reports. Talia if you may, go do yours with Zesshi, she will need help. Touka, Nyx you may do yours in your room."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

* * *

Touka and Nyx went to their rooms, while Talia made her way out of the room at the same time as Alucard did, since he had something he wanted to do at the Frozen Prison, when the door closed behind them Talia froze as she felt her master's hand on her shoulder.

"I am going to ask you something, I understand that it may be a sensitive subject, so I will allow a simple yes or no answer. What Touka said, about the underwear, is that true?"

"Yes."

Talia lowered her head, after giving him a shy answer, right away Alucard could feel the heat in her body rise as her face turned bright red.

"Then, right now you aren't…" he didn't finish, because she replied right away

"No."

"What were you two going to ask of me?"

"We wanted to show you, that we are speaking the truth when we say that we will give everything that is ours to you."

"B-But is that what you truly want?"

"Yes. As you just saw all we want is to be with Alucard-sama, to be of use to you in whatever you ask of us."

"It pains me to see how little confidence you have in yourself. And it pains me to know that I was too focused in myself to notice that this is my fault."

"No, Alucard-sama. You can't blame our self for our weaknesses."

When Alucard didn't reply right away, Talia began to feel nervous had she perhaps offended him, or had her series of miserable displays finally brought about her doom, she went through all possible scenarios in her mind, but none involved what happened. Alucard, who was still standing next to her, placed her left arm across her back and pulled her to his side, the moment their bodies made contact it was as if electricity was going through her body.

"You're going to the 6th floor, correct?" Talia only managed to nod

"Then, I want you to go and get properly dressed, then we are both going to walk there."

"I don't want to delay…" Alucard lifted his hand to silence her

"Don't finish that sentence. Go and get ready, I don't mind waiting."

Talia looked up at him, his face was decorated with a warm and friendly smile, it was then that she saw how blessed she and her fellow Brides were. Almost every other of their comrades were living without the presence of their creators, however she had hers with her, Alucard was there even if he was gone from time to time, he was there. She was nothing but lucky to have someone so kind, so merciful, as Alucard as her superior, surely someone else would have already disposed of her if she had acted towards them in the same way she had done to him.

"Thank you." she said, with a bow

"For what?"

"For staying with us."


	31. Uninvited

Alucard entered the Frozen Prison, closing the massive doors behind him the vampire began to make his way through the corridors, his objective was to find Neuronist because he didn't know where his true objective was. It didn't take long after he arrived for the Special Intelligence Collector of Nazarick to appear, the blob presented itself before him with a "elegant" bow.

"Welcome, Alucard-sama." she greeted

"Neuronist."

"How can this one be of service to you?"

"Clementine. Take me to her."

The blob like creature directed him to one of the deeper parts of the prison, noting by the doors of the prison cells they seemed to be getting smaller and smaller the further they went in. Arriving at the cell Neuronist pointed as being the one holding Clementine, from the door Alucard was certain he wouldn't be able to extend his arms to the side or even stand straight inside of it.

"Why was she placed here?"

"When she was brought in, we weren't given any instructions referring to how she should be treated. Of course, since she is one of Alucard-sama's toys, I made sure she was treated decently." Neuronist replied

"I see. If you will, open it."

"As you wish."

Neuronist walked up to the door and opened it, pushing it aside the rusty metal structure let out a forceful and aching sound as if it wasn't open in decades. The inside was bathed in darkness, which for Alucard posed no sort of impediment to his vision, however before looking at the prisoner he was curious to know how she had behaved.

"Did she behave during her time here?" Alcuard asked

"…Y-Yes. We took liberties to ensure the behavior displayed during her first stay here, would not resurface." Neuronist replied, with a small giggle

"I see."

Looking into the cell Alucard understood what Neuronist meant by "liberties", Clementine was held in the center of the chamber, her limbs held in place by leather restraints, and her body chained to the floor and walls. It wasn't like Alucard was an expert on the subject but some of the material used to hold her reminded him of bondage gear, especially the contraption she had placed on her head, that blocked her eyes and was keeping her mouth open.

"Those are some…interesting restrains." Alucard remarked, in a low tone

"Thank you, Alucard-sama." Neuronist said very enthusiastically

"Have someone free her, then have her taken to the main interrogation chamber. I'll be waiting there."

Alucard left Neuronist behind and made his way to the chamber, thinking back he should have given Touka some specific instructions on how he wanted Clementine to be kept. He was thinking of having her in isolation, not having her restrained, bound to the room and probably being feed through a hose. He wanted her punished, but bondage gear was not what he had in mind, speaking of which why was she bound using such things.

Arriving at the chamber, Alucard leaned against the wall opposite to the door and waited. It took a few minutes for Neuronist to return and behind her two Torturers that were carrying Clementine, who still had her hands and feet restrained.

"Place her in the center, then leave." Neuronist commanded

The two beings placed her on her knees in the middle of the room, bowed to the Supreme Being and then left, Neuronist also left when Alucard motioned her to do so, leaving the two of them alone.

"How have you been?" Alucard asked

"They don't seem to trust me, Alucard-sama~" Clementine replied, in a low tone

"You can't blame them. Especially when you bit some of them."

"Can I be freed~?" she asked, holding her arms out to him

Alucard looked at her, Clementine's head was still lowered with her messy hair covering her eyes, not seeing any issues in doing so Alucard removed her restraints, letting her do some exercises to warm up her numb muscles.

"Thank you, Alucard-sama~" Clementine said, taking a graceful bow

"Have you thought about what you did?" Alucard asked, not ignoring how he sounded like a parent scolding his child

"Please accept my greatest apologies, Alucard-sama~ My objective wasn't to insult, or anger, you in any way~ I will take any punishment you see fit~"

Alucard was surprise, when Clementine got on her knees just before giving him her apology, one could say she was being honest. He didn't believe it, at least he didn't consider that what she was saying was a 100% true, Clementine didn't seem like the kind of person who would be sorry for her actions.

"You are sorry? I mean, do you feel regret for what you did, can someone like you feel such a thing?" Alucard hissed, leaning down on her

"You know me so well, Alucard-sama~" Clementine replied, with a smile

She didn't answer him directly but he understood what she was saying, Clementine felt no regret she most likely was unable to feel such an emotion, at least during most situations.

"But you do understand self-preservation, correct?" the vampire asked

"I do~"

"You may not regret the action that placed you in that cell. But I'm sure you regret the choice that placed you in this prison in the first place. I'm sure that you regret ever having considered that the by "understanding" me, you would be able to achieve something. Am I correct?" Alucard hissed, directly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine

"This one promises, that she will never do such a thing again~" Clementine announced, causing Alucard to place his hands on her shoulders, while standing behind her

"I'm glad we understand each other. Behave from now on, or I will have to start taking things away from you."

"T-Thing~?" Clementine dared to ask

"Yes, you know small things like your free will or your humanity." Alucard replied, letting his arms fall to his sides

Clementine turned around as she felt him walked to the door, how much was he planning to restrict her? Being under threat of losing her freedom or humanity, didn't give her much margin to play around. However, she knew that she had brought this upon herself, but how could Clementine hold herself back in the face of so much fun? She could still remember the expressions Sebas made when they spoke, the mere memory made her shiver in delight.

"Will I be going with you, Alucard-sama~?"

"No, I have things to take care off. Your things have been moved to the same house that Zesshi and Brain Unclaus are inhabiting. I hope you behave while you are living with them, for your sake."

Alucard gave her a nod before he left, there was some time till he was to go on his new assignment and he would spend it on his field report. Clementine watched her master walk away, in her mind she wondered what she had miss or what she would have to look forward too. Knowing that she would be living with Zesshi didn't bother her, but the fact she would be leaving with Brain did peak her interest. Clementine remembered him from when Alucard went to confront Sebas, he was good-looking and from what she knew had skill, in other words he was perfect. Having now been freed she wanted to break something, to take her time to carefully dismantle it and enjoy every second of the process, Brain could be that something.

"But I can do that~" she sighed loudly

"Alucard-sama, won't let me have any fun~" Clementine mumbled, pouting

* * *

While Zesshi was in her room doing her report alongside Talia, Brain was in a conversation with the two other Lizardmen that shared the same home as him. They spoke of many things, but Brain after knowing that Zesshi was in the same house of him, he couldn't think of anything else but her beauty. He had seen her before and had the inkling she was someone like him, seeing that she was staying in the same place as him, he took this to mean that he was correct, Zesshi was another person brought into Nazarick. The fact she was to become Queen of the Elves only made him more interested, she seemed like a good catch and Brain liked to pride himself on his prowess as a "hunter". However, he saw one obstacle before him, from what he had heard she was brought in by Alucard, so he wondered if she already belonged to him. Brain wasn't suicidal to try and take a woman belonging to one of the Supreme Beings, surely it would mean his death or worse.

"So, Zesshi you think she is taken?" Brain asked in a low tone, so only the Lizardmen would hear

"You fancy her?" one of them asked

"She is a looker." Brain remarked

"I wouldn't get to close to her, or any of the women brought in by Alucard-sama." Kiryu pointed out

"Who would want to get close to that maniac, Clementine? I heard she used to help with interrogations and torture, just for the fun of it." the other Lizardman said

"That is true, Laz. She is insane." Kiryu added

"But we aren't talking about her. Do you really think, I shouldn't try my luck with Zesshi?" Brain asked, taking the conversation back to his point of interest

"It doesn't seem like a wise option." Kiryu replied

"I say go for it. We all heard what others think of Alucard-sama, he doesn't seem like the type of man to mind such relationships. After all, if she did belong to him, I believe everyone would know about it." Laz answered

"I like the way you think, Laz. Gentlemen, I think this will be a fine hunt indeed." Brain chuckled, leaning back on his seat

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at the door, Kiryu looked around to see if anyone was going to get up to see who it is, of course no one did. Getting back to his feet to go and open the door, he heard it open and someone walk inside, he immediately recognized the new arrival as Clementine.

"Don't mind me~" she said, closing the door behind her

"So…Getting back on Zesshi." Brain said

"Zesshi~?" Clementine asked, making Brain realize the mistake he had made

The blonde woman made her way from the door to right in front of Brain, looking down at the seated man, like a wolf looking at a sheep, she sat on his lap, placed her right leg over her left, and her left arm over his shoulders.

"You are so adorable, Brain~" she purred, right into his ear

"W-What, what are you doing?" was all Brain, managed to say

"Isn't it obvious~? How you seem to be interested in Zesshi~" Clementine replied

"B-But I didn't say anything like that." he protested

"Then why would you want to take the conversation back to her~? I also like how you said "on Zesshi", it seems very accurate to what your intentions are~" Clementine said, with a mischievous chuckle

"…Even if that was the case, what do you have to do with it?"

"No need to get mad~ But I would like for you to see that she is not something, someone like you can have~ Do you really believe, that the woman that managed to hurt Alucard-sama, would lay a finger on you~?"

Brain was stunned, he hadn't heard anything about Zesshi hurting Alucard, if that true she was easily stronger than him, before he could think of anything else Brain felt Clementine's armor covered hands caressing his cheek.

"Why don't you focus on what is right in front of you~?" Clementine suggested, before whispering something into his ear

"Would you like to know what I would do to you~?"

Perhaps it was his primal side that answered, but Brain nodded vigorously, indeed he knew she was dangerous but there was something about the way she was currently behaving that made him want to know the answer to that question. Clementine began to talk and Brain began to feel his body heat rise, and blood rush to his lower body, she continued talking and soon the heat became unbearable. When he had reached the point his body couldn't take anymore, her words took a different turn, soon enough it was as if all blood had exited his body, he became pale and cold.

"See you around, Brain~" Clementine said, getting up from his lap and heading towards her room

* * *

The time had come to go out on his assignment, having finished his report Alucard was preparing himself. He placed on his black armor, which had finally been repaired from his fight with Zesshi, and then picked up Shi, which he had left behind during his last mission. Touka and Nyx were the first to join him, since they were already in the same room, Talia arrived shortly after with her report and Zesshi's.

"You have 10 minutes to get ready, only take light and easy to conceal weapons, also equip your earpieces. The three of you will be working on reconnaissance." Alucard informed

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

It took the Brides 5 minutes to get fully prepared, emerging from the closet they found Alucard had already opened a Gate, following their master's instructions they followed him through it. The portal lead them to the same location they had tracked him down to when he went missing during his battle with Zesshi.

"I am going to one of the houses in this area, you will be in charge of surveying its surroundings. I want to know the location of guards, and who goes in and out, I don't want any surprises."

"You can count on us, Alucard-sama." they said

"Good. I will be entering the house itself, communication will be maintained via earpiece, if I go silent for more than 5 minutes you are to retreat, if something goes wrong you are to retreat as well. We will be on the hunt for a vampire hunter, since this will be the first time that we go after someone experienced and trained in fighting our kind, I want everyone to be extra cautious. Understood?"

"Yes!"

"Talia will take the left side of the house, Touka the right and Nyx the back. Once we get there we will make an initial round of the grounds, I want to know what to expect once I go inside. Now, follow me."

The group ran towards the Victoria residence, arriving at the front gate Alucard and Talia went to the left, while Touka and Nyx went to the right. From their recon, they concluded that some kind of event was being held in the building, which was supported by the great number of carts being kept in the garden and number of guards patrolling the perimeter. They also concluded that most of the activity was concentrated in the first floor, so Alucard could use a window leading to the other floors to sneak in and luckily for him there was an already opened window.

* * *

Alexa entered her room, the moon light emerging through the opened window was the only thing illuminating it, looking down at her expensive and magnificent dress she pondered on simply ripping it apart, certainly that would grant her some satisfaction. For some reason she felt her eyes being drawn back to the window, not fighting back this instinct her attention went to the window and the black mass in front of it. The girl opened her mouth to scream for help, but a hint of recollection came to her upon looking at the figure, it couldn't be, there was no reason it should be him.

"Don't scream, you will attract unwanted attention." the figure said, in a cold tone

"U-Unwanted attention? T-Then I take it you are not here for the party." Alexa said, her voice shaken

"I am not, Alexa. I am here for the man who ordered Abraham Van Helsing to go after me." he informed, in the same tone

It hurt, she knew who he was even if he hadn't said so himself, after all the shape and voice were the same. It was painful to see the man that had once spoken to her with warmth and care, now speak in such a distant manner. Walking towards the door, she opened it and motioned him out, before speaking.

"He is downstairs, both are. The one who hired him, must have been my father." Alexa said

Alucard gave her a nod and began to move forwards, however he couldn't help but think of the tone she had spoken with, it was full of sadness and loneliness. He did his best to ignore those feelings, he had his mission and was lucky enough that both his targets were in the same location at the same time, such opportunities were extremely rare. However, going against his better judgment, Alucard stopped and moved his attention to the girl, who was still holding the door open.

"Did something happen? Is something bothering you?" Alucard asked, his tone become more carrying, Alexa closed the door before replying

"They say it is beyond the comprehension of a child…Today is my birthday, and that was supposed to be my party, however because of the demon attack, less than half of the guest came. And those that came were only interested in discussing their businesses with my father…" Alexa fell silent, taking a seat on the edge of her bed

"I am 17 years old, I am more than mature enough and know my father's businesses well enough to know that this attack could cripple us. I mean it won't leave us in poverty, but I'm well aware some luxuries will have to be cut back on." Alexa continued

"I had never seen this side of you before." Alucard pointed out, causing Alexa to look back at him with a somewhat worried expression

"You are very mature, even for 17 years of age."

"N-No…I wouldn't say that, I just know how to behave in a given situation. But I guess I failed to do that when we first meet, I was so scared even after you saved me. Thinking back, you must have seen me as being childish. I just wanted to get my mind away from what was happening."

"Not at all, if anything I thought you were very brave, to be able to keep your calm in such a situation." Alucard said, walking up towards her

"I-I guess, you would say that." the girl said, keeping her head lowered so as not to look at the vampire

[Alucard-sama, shouldn't…] Talia began to say, via the earpiece, but Alucard spoke before she could finish

[Y-Yes. I'll get right to it.]

"I guess, we will part ways here, Alexa Victoria."

Taking a small bow, Alucard began to make his way towards the door, his left hand reached for the doorknob when he felt Alexa grab on to his right.

"W-Wouldn't you w-want to stay for a little while longer?"

Alucard wondered what he had done to possibly deserve to have so many headaches one after the other, turning his head to the side so he could eye the girl, Alucard replied.

"My apologies, but I cannot. I still have business to attend to."

"I-I understand…" Alexa said, letting go of his hand and lowering her head

"…W-Will I see you again?" she asked

"I'm sure you will." with that he walked out of the room


	32. Meeting

Alucard calmly made his way through the shadows of the manor, in his path he left several bodies, all of them knocked out, his original plan would be to go to the party itself however by interrogating the servants he found out that his main target was in his office.

Vince Victoria was currently in his office, having a heated argument with two of his business partners, given the demon invasion his business had been affected and now it fell on him and the other two men to put back what remained. Lucky for him the damage wasn't too grave, but it was enough to cause concern and warrant such a discussion, especially if he was going to keep his good name. A knock at the door caught the three men's attention, placing a hand on his sweaty forehead Vince growled at whoever was on the other side.

"Who is it!?"

"Mr. Victoria, I have brought you and your guests your drinks." replied a female voice

"Fine. Come in." he ordered

The door slowly opened, and a young-looking woman in a stereotypical maid's outfit walked in, carrying three glasses on a tray. Being tiered from their discussion, the men tried to rest not only from the incoming drinks but also by looking at the attractive woman, much to their horror she was not alone, behind the maid was a massive figure in black armor and hood.

"H…" Vince said, ready to scream for help, but the figure spoke over him, as it closed the door

"Be silent. Or I will be forced to silent you, permanently." it said, immediately Vince recognized him

"Good work. Take a seat, place the tray on the table." the stranger, told the maid who followed his instructions

"A-Alucard?" Vince asked

"I was hoping the next time we saw each other it would be under better circumstances." the vampire informed

"W-Why are you here? Have you come to kill me?" Vince asked

"Kill you? Why would I do that?"

Alucard eyed the nervous human, sweat continued to roll down his face, picking up a handkerchief Vince cleaned his face and shifted in his chair, before talking.

"B-Because I was the one to contacted Abraham. That is why you are here, correct?" Vince asked

"It seems you are not as much of an idiot, as I had imagined. Indeed, that is why I am here. However, killing you would be pointless, it would only give him and others more reasons to come after me."

"T-Then what do you want?"

"Can you call him off?" Alucard asked

"Don't be a fool, vampire. He is a vampire hunter, I cannot call him off, since I didn't hire him. I only gave him the information I had on you, he is after you simply as a precaution."

"I see. Then go do go back to your party, Mr. Victoria, we are done here."

To be honest, Alucard was relieved to know that Abraham wasn't searching for him in order to kill him, with this information he could calmly move to the next phase of the mission.

[Alucard-sama, the target is making his way towards your location.] Talia said, via earpiece

[Understood.]

Abraham made his way up the stairs that lead to the second floor, his objective was Vince's office since the reason he had come was for Alexa's birthday and since things had taken a different turn he was going to leave. However, before he left he wanted to say goodbye to the master of the house, arriving at the hallway that lead to the office he felt something drop behind him. Tightening the grip around his briefcase, the vampire hunter turned to face the overwhelming presence that stood behind him, his eyes widened slightly since it matched the description he had been given perfectly.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Alucard." Abraham said

"I can't say the feeling is mutual, Helsing." Alucard remarked

"Why is that? Have I done something to…offend you?" the hunter asked, fixing his glasses

"Not at all. However, it is a shame that we meet because of the fears of one simple minded man." the vampire replied

"Indeed. Would you be interested in continuing this conversation somewhere else?"

"Where would that be?"

"My house. Your name, your power, and to a lesser extent your personality, has greatly interested me."

"How is my name, of any importance?" Alucard asked, Abraham replied with a grin

"The founder of my family, greatly enjoyed vampire related novels, however he had things unlike normal books, he called them mangas. One of them talked about a vampire named Alucard, the fact you share the same name as him, is a welcomed coincidence."

"I don't know what this "manga" is. But I believe you are correct, it is but a coincidence. However, that is not the reason I have yet to accept your offer. I want to know how I, a vampire, can be comfortable with the idea of going to the home of a vampire hunter?"

"An understandable question. Unfortunately, I can only offer you my word…But if that is not enough, would you be interested in a hostage?" Abraham asked, his lips curling into a disturbing grin

"Hostage?"

"Only if it would make you feel safer, of course. Believe me when I tell you this, Alucard, with all the experience I have I can tell that you are more than a normal vampire. You are one of those rare cases, where one can talk to them, can reason with them, and even form a positive relationship with. So, I ask you again, would you like to come and continue this conversation in my home?"

It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about this man, Alucard was well aware of this however he could say it was too good of an opportunity. It could be a trap, but the fact he went as far as offering him a hostage made him doubt that idea. Not thinking of that problem, what Abraham had said so far was very interesting, especially his mention of vampire novels and manga where the name Alucard was used. The mention of the "founder" was also noteworthy, it could put aside the theory of this man being like him, but did support the idea of him being left behind by someone like him.

"I accept. I hope you don't mind taking me to your home, so late in the night?"

"Not at all. After all for people like us, the night is still a child." the hunter replied, with a laugh

"Then, I will meet you by your carriage?"

"Please do."

* * *

The drive back to the hunter's home was not a long one, but was an awkwardly silent one, Alucard looked out of the carriage's window his eyes focused on the surrounding forest, and the blurs his Brides made when following them.

Arriving at the house, Alucard saw it was of a more modest look compared to Alexa's but a mansion non-the less, the carriage stopped midway between the gates and the house itself, the duo went the rest of the way on foot. When they were getting close to the front door, it opened revealing a woman in a maid's outfit, she was of average height, dark brown hair, and dark green eyes.

The maid seemed to be going for a bow, but stopped momentarily when she saw the figure standing next to her master, proceeding to take her bow, she finally spoke.

"Welcome back, Abraham." she said, in a warm and sweet tone

"It's good to be back, Claudia. Claudia, this is Alucard. Alucard, this is Claudia, the head maid and my wife."

"I apologize for disturbing you tonight, ma'am." Alucard said, taking a small bow

"There is no need for apologies. You are a guest, please come in." she said, stepping aside so they could enter

Alucard and Abraham entered the building, Claudia closed the door behind them and then she and Abraham went up the stairs, apparently to his office, while Alucard was asked to wait by the entrance. Some servants walked pass him, giving the hooded figure a strange look, before politely greeting him.

"W-Who are you?" a voice asked

Looking at the source of the voice, Alucard saw a young girl who looked to be around 12 years old, she had long light brown hair, blue eyes, slightly tanned skin and was wearing a simple looking dress. Unlike the other people that walked pass him, the girl had a curious look on her, like she was truly interested in learning who he was.

"I am Alucard. I am very thankful that you have welcomed me into your home." the vampire said, taking another bow

"Don't you know it is rude to wear hats indoors?" the girl asked, pointing at his hood

"…I-I guess it is."

Alucard slowly took off his hood and looked back at the girl, who somewhat surprised him when he noticed that she was unfazed, by what he had understood as being a beautiful face.

"My I ask you something?" the vampire asked, giving the girl the friendliest look he could muster

"You can."

"May I know your name?"

"Integra. Integra Helsing."

"What a nice name."

Alucard couldn't help but let out an internal laugh, things were getting more and more interesting as time went on. If he had cursed Alexa's father for calling Abraham's attention to him, he now started to not mind it all that much, after all things had made a fascinating turn.

"You don't look like him." Integra said, brining Alucard back from his thoughts

"Who?"

"Alucard. The one in the books, looks different." she replied

"What does he look like?"

"I'll show you. Wait here."

Integra then ran in the opposite direction soon disappearing from view, leaving Alucard alone with his thoughts once more, where was she going? Was it possible that she was going to get something to show him how the Alucard she was referring to looked like.

"Sorry for the wait." Abraham said, coming down the stairs

"No need to apologize." Alucard remarked, looking up at the man, who was no longer wearing his coat revealing a white buttoned shirt underneath

"Shall we get going, I would like to show you my other office in the basement." Abraham said

"Father, wait. I have to show him something." Integra announced, in a loud tone, running up to them

"Lower your voice, Integra. We have guests." Abraham said

"Sorry." she said, before turning her attention to Alucard

"See, this is how he looks like."

Integra showed him one of the volumes of the Hellsing manga, which depicted the Alucard from the series in color, and made the differences between them obvious.

"Come on, honey. They are not the same being, why don't you go play?" Abraham suggested, placing a hand on her shoulder

"Alright." she sighed, walking back to where she had brought the book from

"Let's get going then." the vampire hunter said

The duo made their ways deeper into the house, arriving at a large wooden door Abraham opened it revealing that it lead underground, as they went down the stairs Alucard decided to make a question.

"That book your daughter showed me. What were those symbols on it?" Alucard asked, referring to the letters which he knew weren't used in this region of the world

"They are the letters, of the founder's language." Abraham replied

"Who was this, founder?"

"I'll tell you once we get there."

They reached another wooden door, when Abraham opened it he walked in shortly followed by Alucard revealing to him a large cave. The cave was illuminated by crystals similar to those that he had in his training room, there was a desk with a chair behind it, a large bookshelf that seemed to have a few books missing. Most important was the large painting on the wall behind the desk, it depicted a man that looked like Abraham, however he had shorter hair and a full beard. What caught Alucard's attention, to the point he almost widened his eyes in shock, was the man's armor which was very similar to the one's a player could use in YGGDRASIL, if his instincts weren't wrong that was the depiction of a fellow player.

"Alucard, I present to you Gustave Helsing, the founder of our family." Abraham announced, his expression showed that he had great pride and respect for the man

"You look a lot like him." Alucard managed to say, his eyes still fixed on the painting

Abraham walked up to the desk, placed his briefcase on top of it, removed his necklace and undid a few of the buttons on his shirt, before taking his seat behind the desk.

"Tell me a little bit about yourself, Alucard. Like why did a vampire, as powerful as yourself, saved the life of Alexa Victoria?"

"I happened to come across her, I may be a vampire but I am not monster. I couldn't overlook what was happening, and I acted."

Alucard began to examine the books on the shelf, he quickly realized that many of them had English titles and that many were about vampires, or the supernatural. He knew that in YGGDRASIL a player could upload books into specified items, which would be turned into the book itself, the concept was similar to how he had uploaded his music into his music box.

"These letters, are very interesting. Where did your ancestor come from?" Alucard asked, looking at Abraham who gave him a very disturbing smile

"I see no harm in telling you. But are you sure you will believe my answer? Some say it is impossible." Abraham replied

"Try me." the vampire said, with a confident smirk

"It is documented, that Gustave Helsing came from another world, along with some others. But those, much like him, are dead now." the vampire hunter informed, with a serious expression

"Then, he had children with a woman from this world, leading to this family." Alucard added, causing Abraham to chuckle

"Indeed. But you are taking this very well, Alucard. Compared to the other times I have told people this."

"I am rather opened minded." Alucard said, in a bored tone

"But I am still curious about why you have brought me here." the vampire remarked

"Like I said, vampires like you are rare, and when they are as peaceful as you are I would be a fool to overlook them. Do you believe you are the only strong vampire out there? I know that there are some others, most of them devote their lives to help the weak, one of them is not that far from our current location…" Alucard politely spoke over him

"So, you want me to be like them? And help the weak?"

"Yes. From what I know, Alexa wasn't the first person to have been helped by a being called Alucard. I've heard that something similar as happened to Gazef Strolonoff and Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself herself. That alone would give you a spot working under the royal family itself."

"My apologies, but I don't understand how that relates to you bringing me here?" Alucard asked

"I wanted to know more about you. And, why someone as strong as you seems to spend most of his time wandering the woods or just vanishes in between sightings."

"I like my privacy, and as you seem to know most of the times I come across people they don't seem to have the best of intentions. And when it comes to knowing about me, you have yet to ask me anything."

"No need. From our conversation, I understood enough about your personality to put me at ease."

"I see that you are a wise man."

"I do my best."

"Do you need anything else from me?" Alucard asked

"Actually, I am curious about testing your strength. But even I need some sleep, so I was wondering if you would mind having a sparring session with me, tomorrow morning?"

"It would be a pleasure, Abraham."

"Then, would you like to spend the night?"

"No need. I would prefer to have some fresh air before tomorrow."

"Then, I will take you to the door."

* * *

Exiting the Helsing manor, Alucard vanished making his way deep into the nearby forest where his Brides were waiting, after a minute of running he found them in a clearing.

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." they greeted, with a bow

"Anything of note happened on your end?" he asked

"No, sir." they replied

"Good to hear. It seems we have stumbled upon a very interesting situation." Alucard said

"What he said, wasn't that what happened to us?" Touka asked

"Indeed, it was. But it isn't that shocking, we already suspected we weren't the first beings to arrive on this world."

"Shall we go back to Nazarick, and return in the morning?" Talia asked

"There's no need. I can spend the night here."

"B-But such a place, is not fit for you Alucard-sama." Talia pointed out

"It's fine. After all, when was the last time the three of you spent the night somewhere other than Nazarick?"

"I'll take this tree." Nyx announced, jumping into the nearest branch

"You can't do that! I wanted that branch!" Touka growled, jumping after her

"Behave." Alucard hissed

"Our apologies." they replied, with Touka jumping to another branch

"You better chose somewhere to stay at, Talia. Or those two are going to take every branch for themselves." Alucard chuckled, looking at the trees

"Tomorrow, during the sparring match, will the plan be to kill him?" she asked

"No, he's too valuable to kill. At least for now, because he may become a problem. But I'll find that out tomorrow."


	33. The Best of Intentions

When the morning came Alucard made his way back to the Helsing manor, where a butler was already waiting for him outside. Entering the house, he was lead back to the basement and this time went through a secret passageway that was hidden next to the bookshelf. The passage lead to a large open area where Abraham was already waiting, wearing the same outfit from last night and had his briefcase on the ground.

"Welcome back, Alucard."

"I take it we will be fighting in this space?" Alucard asked, examining the large open area

"Correct."

"You know, I've been thinking, and I believe that we could benefit from an alliance." the vampire said

"What can I, a humble vampire hunter, offer a vampire such as yourself?" Abraham asked

"Information. After all, that is the only reason I have come here." Alucard replied, causing the human to fix his glasses

"Is that so? What kind of information, are you searching for?" he asked, his tone turning serious

"Abraham Van Helsing. I have heard that name before, in many places actually, one of them was in a novel named Dracula, the other in the manga series, Hellsing. Both of which are in your possession, correct?"

"Troubling, I was under the impression you couldn't understand the language of the founder." Abraham remarked, kneeling down and opening his briefcase

"I can, it is my mother tongue after all."

Even with the great distance between them, Alucard saw Abraham raising an eyebrow at him, whatever he was doing in his briefcase at the sound of those words, he stopped and looked back at the vampire.

"That would mean, that you came from the same world as him." Abraham said

"Are you interested in an alliance now?" Alucard asked

"I take it that, you would like to learn more about my ancestor and others that came to this world?" Abraham asked, Alucard simply nodded

"Then is there any connection between you and the Alucard from Hellsing?"

"You can say, that I took inspiration from him."

"Interesting. Now that I know what you want from this alliance, I'm sure you are dying to know what I expect to take out of this?" Abraham asked, with a large grin

"A proper alliance benefits both sides. I wouldn't expect anything else, other than you asking something of me."

"…You caught me off guard, I actually don't know what to ask you…" the vampire hunter chuckled

"…How about a favor?" he suggested, showing how he had no idea of what to ask from the vampire

"A favor?"

"Exactly. When the time comes, and I need something, I can call on you to back me up. What do you say?"

Alucard stared the man down, he felt like he was making a deal with the shadiest of individuals, he did seem to be a decent person so he wouldn't imagine him asking anything too ridiculous out of him. Still, he feared what could come from this, Abraham seemed to be a strong individual, even as a vampire hunter it was possible he did other work, work that might place him in the way of Nazarick, if he decided to call him at that time, the only option would be to kill the hunter.

"I accept your proposition."

"Then take this." Abraham said, throwing something at Alucard

Easily catching the incoming projectile, the vampire analyzed it finding the object to be a small red crystal.

"What is this?"

"A communicator, I made it myself actually. I have the other one, when I need that favor I will use it to call you. After that you, just have to make sure to get there as fast as you can."

"I'll make sure to keep it nearby."

"Shall we get to the sparring session?" Abraham asked, still tinkering with something inside the case

"Whenever you are ready."

Abraham raised his eyebrow at him and gave him a disturbing smile, what happened next not even Alucard could fully process. The vampire hunter raised his right hand from the case revealing a large black revolver, with a white handle and six chambers, however what stunned the vampire was the speed of the motion he could only see afterimages of the arm getting into a firing position. Opening fire a small bullet made out of light rocket towards him, taking a step to the left Alucard managed to avoid it even if he felt it go right pass him.

"How's that?" Abraham asked, getting back to his feet

"You're fast. And that weapon is rather powerful." Alucard remarked, giving him a small smirk

"This is Yin, one of the weapons left to us by the founder. As you can see it has six chambers, however each chamber represents a firing mode and not ammo itself. But don't worry, it's currently set to stun."

"If there is a Yin, I take it you have a Yang?"

"Correct. However, I only tend to use one at a time, so much so I do not have it with me."

Alucard immediately noted something, Abraham didn't seem to mind explaining his weapon to him, however he did not mention from where his bullets came from, or how many he could fire. This could be because he overlooked it, or it could be his weakness, even if that was the case Alucard knew it wouldn't make things easier, since there were many options to explain how that could be his weakness.

"Aren't you going to do something? Or should I keep shooting?"

Not waiting for his opponent to reply, Abraham fired two other shots at him, drawing his blade Alucard sliced through both projectiles and lunged at him. Using his great speed the vampire easily closed the gap between them and brought his blade down on the vampire hunter, however just like before Abraham moved to the left leaving only afterimages behind. Slicing through the afterimage, Alucard felt the revolver make contact with the side of his head, spinning midair he avoided getting shot in the head and brought his blade up to Abraham's face.

"[Pace of the Wind], [Greater Evasion]." Abraham mumbled, effortlessly avoiding the blow and jumping several feet away from him

"Do be careful with that blade, Alucard." Abraham sighed

"I apologize if I alarmed you, I would have stopped my attack before doing any damage. But, I have to say you are fast."

"Thank you. It is but one of the many gifts, the founder left us."

Even if Alucard wasn't giving a 100% to the exercise, he was still surprised with how fast the vampire hunter was, which made him wonder at what level Gustave was when he came to this world. It wouldn't be surprising that some of his power would be passed on from generation to generation, however Alucard believed that it most of that power would be diluted with the passage of time, so he concluded the speed would most likely be given by some item. The fact he could use Martial Arts, was also interesting, it meant that even if Alucard couldn't use them himself, his children would be able to do so as long as the mother was from this world.

"Do you wish to continue." Alucard asked

"Of course. I'm just starting to enjoy myself."

Alucard charged at his opponent, in Abraham's eyes the vampire simply vanished leaving him with no indication from where he would attack. When Alucard emerged behind him, the hunter spun around and aimed his revolver at the vampire's chest and opened fire, the projectile easily went through Alucard who ended up being an afterimage. The sensation of cold steel in his neck, made Abraham raise his hands in defeat, when the pressure on his neck didn't diminish he dropped Yin.

"You were holding back, just as I thought." Abraham remarked, as Alucard sheathed Shi

"Your only advantage was your speed. I simply had to surpass it, and adapt my senses. But I also sense that you were holding back." Alucard pointed out, moving around the hunter so he would be facing him

"Not as much, as you were."

"Do you wish to continue?" Alucard asked

"I do not. You are free to leave if you wish."

"Then I shall be going. I'll return in a few days for the information I requested. Till that day, Abraham."

"Like wise, Alucard."

* * *

Leaving the vampire hunter's house, Alucard made his way back to the same clearing he had spent the night at, arriving there his Brides were already waiting for him.

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." they greeted

"We are done here. Nyx, open a [Gate] back to Nazarick."

Walking through the portal, Alucard and his Brides arrived at his room, removing his hood and placing his katana on his desk, Alucard undid his ponytail letting his hair drop freely down his back and shoulders.

"Dismissed. And all of you did good work." Alucard said

"Do not waste such words on us, Alucard-sama." Talia remarked

"We are here to serve you." Talia added

The Brides gave him another bow, and went back to the closet so they could remove their gear and place their dresses back on. Alucard looked at his desk for a moment before contacting Ainz via [Message], it took some time but the Guild Master picked up.

[It's good to hear from us, Alucard-san.] Ainz greeted, from the other side

[Likewise, Ainz. How are things going on your end?] Alucard asked

[Tiresome, since I am being treated as the one that ended the invasion, I've been given a lot of extra work. What about you? Did you look into that vampire hunter?]

[I did. And I have learned a lot of interesting things.]

Alucard proceeded to tell Ainz everything that had happened, the Overlord didn't say a word till his friend had finished informing him about what had happened.

[You believe that this alliance may be that profitable?] Ainz asked

[I'm unsure. While the information he had may be of some use to us, I doubt it will give us anything on how and why we were brought here. And I also fear what he may ask for his favor. I could have killed him, but by doing that I think I would be destroying one of our greatest sources of information, on our current condition.]

[I see. I want a full report on the situation, when you've finished it take it to my room, and make sure no one reads it.]

[Not even Albedo or Demiurge?]

[Yes, I want to have a full grasp of what you have found before considering telling anyone anything.]

[But if this is about secrecy, my Brides practically heard everything.]

[Will they tell anyone?]

[No need to be paranoid, Ainz. They won't tell anyone, without my permission.]

The conversation ended soon after that, Alucard spent the following hour and a half writing a detailed report on the situation.

* * *

Exiting his room, he made his way towards Ainz's room, it didn't take long for him to reach it, opening the door he was somewhat surprised by what he saw. Albedo was in Ainz's room, seemingly placing some papers on his desk, at the sound of the new arrival she jumped slightly, before noticing who it was.

"Welcome, Alucard-sama." she said, with a bow

"Albedo. You seem to be busy." Alucard noted, closing the door behind him

A strange smell made its way up his nose, it was a floral sent much like perfume, smelling around to find the source he saw that the greatest quantity of it came from the chamber where Ainz's bed was, there was some scattered around the sofas, and some on the desk. However, the second greatest source, outside the bedroom, was Albedo, understanding that he most likely had stumbled upon some "dangerous" situation, he decided it would be best not to say anything.

"Is something wrong, Alucard-sama?" Albedo asked, with her usual heavenly smile

"N-No. May I ask, what you are doing?" Alucard asked, making his way towards the desk

"I brought some reports, for Ainz-sama to read when he returns. I was in the process of organizing them."

Alucard simply nodded and placed his report on the opposite side of the desk to where Albedo's pile of reports were, upon seeing the strangely placed report she couldn't help but ask about it.

"Alucard-sama, may I ask what that report is?"

"Top-secret. Only for Ainz's eyes, make sure everyone that comes into this room understands that fact." Alucard growled back, in a tone that slightly frightened Albedo

"U-Understood, Alucard-sama." she said, with a bow

"Then, I'll be on my way. Keep up the good work, Albedo." giving the Overseer a wave he began to walk back to the entrance

"Thank you, for your kind words, Alucard-sama."

The Supreme Being left, and Albedo rising from her bow felt her eyes being drawn to the report, first she noted that there was no physical seal on it, and she was confident that there was no magical seal because Alucard had given her a verbal warning. Letting her delicate right-hand move from the pile of reports she picked up the forbidden report, and began to read it. After all she was the Guardian Overseer and Ainz-sama's other half, surely she, out of all beings in Nazarick, could read it. Her smile faded after a few pages, being replaced by a blank expression, an expression that became one of pure rage when she reached the final pages.

In his report Alucard hadn't mentioned anything about them once being humans and the game, so Albedo only read things about them coming from another world, her rage came from the final topic of the report, which discussed things about returning to their place of origin. Even if the content of the pages was vague, since Alucard had nothing to base his words on they were enough to anger Albedo. Her face still contorted in anger, the only reason she didn't reduce the report to shreds was because she believed Ainz knew and was expecting it on his desk, and most likely knew what topics were being discussed in it, which prevented her from ripping out those final pages.

"Leave! He wants to leave!" Albedo roared, what was once the face of an angel turned into a demon

He wanted to take Ainz-sama away from Nazarick, away from her, her beloved would be gone and it would be because of him, the Supreme Being weak enough to have let his mind and body be tainted by the enemy so easily. First Shalltear wanted to take away his love, and now Alucard wanted to take him away, why were they all so insensitive to Nazarick's needs, to her needs. Without Ainz-sama, Nazarick wouldn't survive, she wouldn't survive, yes all of the pain and anger she felt now it was because of him, a Supreme Being who wanted to take from Nazarick, from her, the most important entity in this world, Ainz-sama.

Filling the heat quickly begin to rise in her body, her hand moved downwards and Albedo slowly managed to calm herself down, it was the heat of her devotion, her love, for her master. Albedo knew that she would have to do something about this, after all what would happen if Ainz-sama left? She would have to combat the suggestions made by Alucard, and maybe even eliminate the source of those suggestions all together, however she knew she couldn't possibly do it, alone. The item that had before affected Alucard, was safely locked away beyond the reach of anyone but Ainz, the only other solution wasn't in anyway a simple and delicate one but that one she was certain she couldn't do alone. Since fighting and defeating a Supreme Being, is not a matter to take lightly, especially one who was known for being a warrior, and surrounded himself with other skillful combatants. No, the only option she currently had was to combat whatever ideas, Ainz might have of leaving after all, even if it was incredibly selfish of her to want him to stay, it was best for Nazarick, for her, if he did.


	34. A Showing of Devotion

Clementine walked into her room, lazily looking around her eyes immediately went to the opened window, which wasn't opened when she left, letting a small smirk form in her face she went to close the window. Turning around after it was closed, she came face to face with an Eight-Edge Assassin, holding a small item in its hand, Clementine walked pass him with a smile and sat on her bed.

"May I help you with something?" she asked

"You have a mission to complete." he replied, in a monotone

"Haven't heard of it." Clementine pointed out

"I will be the one giving them to you. As pay you will receive this item and greater freedom." the Assassin said, placing the item on top of the small desk

"Cool, what does it do?" Clementine asked, walking up to the desk and looking on at the item

"You will know after you complete your assignment." he answered, causing Clementine to frown

"Sounds interesting. And what is that mission?"

"You will begin by going to Ainz-sama's room, there will be a report, that is separated from the others, for you to read."

"And after that?"

"I will be following you. When you are finished with that part I will tell you what to do next."

Clementine looked at him, she wasn't an idiot and knew when something felt wrong, after all he had yet to tell her who had given him the instructions to deliver to her.

"And who told you to come give me that mission?"

"Albedo-sama." the Assassin replied, after a pause

Strange answer, even if Clementine hadn't had many interactions with the Overseer she was under the impression she didn't like her that much, and that Albedo wasn't the kind of person to send a human do any kind of work. She wondered if she could decline the offer, if something went wrong she knew Alucard wouldn't be happy, however the Assassin had talked about her freedom, if it involved her being able to entertain herself she wouldn't mind it at all.

"Fine. I'll go with you."

"You will exit through the door. I will go back out through the window and turn invisible once more, you won't see me but I will be following you."

"Understood."

Exiting her room, Clementine walked to Ainz's room and into it, finding the chamber empty Clementine walked up to the desk and found the aforementioned report. The topic was very interesting, with a smile forming on her face at several times, after reading the full report she placed it back on the desk and the Assassin spoke.

"Do you remember what is said on it? Everything about the house and the people in it?"

"I do."

"Then go back to your room." he ordered, and Clementine nodded in reply

Waking back to her room, Clementine did her best to contain the large grin that decorated her face, he didn't need to tell her what the mission was she already knew, or at least had a good idea of what it would be. The reason he asked her if she remembered those things from the report, was because the mission would involve going to that house, dealing with those people, in what way she wasn't sure, but given her past she could guess what was to be done. Arriving in her room, she was surprised when she found a [Gate], waiting for her and the now visible Assassin.

"Walk through it."

Going to the portal, Clementine found herself face to face with Albedo, in the Overseers room, her head turned slightly to the side just to make sure the Assassin was still behind her.

"I've been waiting." Albedo said, closing the portal just to open another one

"Can you take her weapons and bring them to me." she instructed

"Yes, Albedo-sama." the Assassin replied, taking from Clementine her Stilettos

The Assassin then presented the weapons to Albedo, what the Overseer did next surprised Clementine she removed one of her gloves and picked up one of the Stilettos, Clementine would imagine her keeping it on so as to not touch something that she would view as "dirty". The surprises didn't end there, as Albedo proceeded to ram the Stiletto into the Assassin's neck several times with quick succession, he dropped the weapons on the floor and she followed her attack with pushing him into the portal.

"You may pick them up." Albedo said, all the while keeping the same heavenly expression

Clementine picked up the fallen weapons and the one Albedo had used, while she did so Albedo placed her glove back all the while keeping a perfectly calm and unmoved expression.

"I hope you remember the report. As your mission will involve you going to that house." the Overseer informed

"I do Albedo-sama. Will it involve fighting Abraham? From what I understood I will not be able to keep up with him."

"No. I want you to burn the house and that basement to the ground, nothing must survive, do you understand?"

"Of couse." Clementine replied, with a bow

"Good. Understand this mission has Nazarick's best interests in mind, I am expecting nothing else but success."

"Do not worry. The house will be nothing but ash. Still I have to ask, what am I to do if someone finds me?"

"As you know it is still early in the morning, so everyone should still be asleep. You may come across servants, but those are easy to dispose of. If you come across Abraham himself, I just hope you managed to complete your objective before that." Albedo said, her expression remaining the same but transmitting incredible anger

"Understood."

Albedo closed the portal and opened another one in the same place, Clementine only thought about how this mission seemed to be everything but official. Whatever Albedo plan was, even if it was for Nazarick, Clementine was sure she was the one chosen to do this because Albedo planned to put all blame on her.

"You will go through this portal, which will lead to the same clearing from the report. I will close it, and then reopen it 1 hour later. Do you have any questions?"

"Just one. Was this mission, your idea? Or did the Supreme Beings ordered you to give it to me?"

"Are you worried about the promise of giving you greater freedom? Do not worry, if you are successful, I will ask Ainz-sama and Alucard-sama to have you as my personal underling, which will allow me to give you that freedom."

"I am grateful that you would consider me to be your underling, Albedo-sama." Clementine said, with another bow

"Now, go."

Clementine gave the demon another bow and walked through the portal, which vanished shortly after. Arriving at the clearing, the woman looked around first to make sure the Assassin's corpse wasn't near her, which it wasn't, and she was also finding her way to her target.

"What will I do…" she sighed, rushing in the direction of the Helsing manor

* * *

Alucard was in the middle of a sparring session with his Brides, they had their armors on while he like usual was only wearing pants and boots, they were currently doing a hand-to-hand exercise which like usual Alucard dominated, but he did not that they were improving.

"Let's take a break." Alucard said

"B-But we can still go, Alucard-sama." Touka pointed out

"Do not worry about us. If you wish to continue we will do so." Talia added

"It has nothing to do with that. I've already did enough for now, we can continue later." he explained, turning off his music box

"As you wish, Alucard-sama."

"What should we do next? After all, until Ainz returns we are short on things to do." Alucard asked, making his way out of the training chamber

"Perhaps you could return to Abraham's home, and get the information we need from him." Touka suggested, walking out of the chamber a long with her sisters

"Sounds good." her master said, placing the box on top of his desk

"You flatter me with such words, Alucard-sama."

A busing sound filled the room getting the attention of those present, all eyes darted to the now glowing red crystal on the Supreme Being's desk, the one given to him by Abraham. Picking up the communicator and heard another sound coming from it, a voice however he could tell it didn't belong to Abraham, placing it next to his ear he spoke.

"Abraham?"

"A…A-Alucard-sama…" said the voice from the other side

"Clementine!?" Alucard growled, widening his eyes

"Y-Yes…C-Could you come a-and get me I-I'm…hurt…" she said, Clementine spoke between desperate breaths

"How did you get the communicator!?" he asked, ignoring her words

"I…I'm bleeding…P…P-Please Alucard-…s-save me…" Clementine pleaded

"Where are you?"

"…I managed t-to make my way b-back to the clearing…T-The one y-you used…" she replied, he lowered his hand and looked at his Brides

"Nyx prepare to use your powers to treat someone, go and get everything you need, assume the worst possible case of injury. The rest help her."

"Yes, Alucard-sama!"

Opening a portal, Alucard jumped through it. Arriving at the clearing his nose automatically detected his objective, sitting on a tree to his left was Clementine, her left arm was missing along with part of the left side of her abdomen. The woman's head was lowered, her hair and face tainted with blood, yet she kept a weak smirk and in her right hand was the other communicator. Rushing to her side, he carefully picked her up letting the communicator drop on the floor, and quickly went back through the portal, closing it behind him.

"Is that…" Touka began to ask, but her master interrupted her

"Nyx, I want her back at a 100% as soon as possible." he ordered, placing Clementine on his bed

"I'll do my best." Nyx said, quickly going to work on the woman

His Brides saw him walk back to the training chamber, shortly after they hear the sounds of him hitting the walls and letting out animalistic grunts as he did so, they exchanged quick looks wanting to go to him, but being bound by their current task. Deciding that they should tend to the task they were given, they left Alucard to vent his rage and frustration by himself.

* * *

Thanks to their supplies and Nyx great skill, Clementine was stabilized in about 10 minutes, yet the work was far from complete.

"Talia, you go to him." Touka said

"B-But I have been given a task…" Talia argued back, but Touka spoke over her

"I can help Nyx with what she needs, if we need you we will call for you. Now, go see to Alucard-sama's needs."

"Y-Yes." Talia said

The punches had stopped 5 minutes into the procedure, walking into the chamber Talia found her master sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, his eyes blank and unfocused.

"I-Is there any way I can help, Alucard-sama?" she asked, in a low tone

"…No…Do you think I am too soft? Too merciful?" he asked

"No, Alucard-sama. We believe that your judgment is a fair one, your decisions are not related to you having mercy or being soft, you make them because they are the correct ones."

"Then, do you believe I made the right decisions when it came to Clementine?"

"Y-Yes. Taking into account how Alucard-sama wanted her to work for us, I believe Alucard-ama's decisions were correct, since he wanted her to work and behave willingly." Talia replied, to which Alucard let out a growl like sigh

"I never imagined she would go this far…To look into a report, I had Albedo inform everyone that it was off-limits, then attack Abraham and nearly get herself killed…So much work, for what?" Alucard mumbled, getting back to his feet

"I'll hear her out. And then…take her humanity from her." he said, walking pass Talia

"Then wouldn't it be better to turn her into a vampire now? Her healing abilities should be able to take care of her injuries, with time." his Bride pointed out

"I want to hear her out first."

"Understood."

* * *

Going back to watch Nyx and Touka treat Clementine, he saw that they had already stopped the bleeding and Nyx was almost finished reconstruction the abdomen. It took 10 more minutes for the youngest Bride to return Clementine to her normal state, after she was finished the only thing left was for the human to regain consciousness, which was easily fixed. Taking a seat next to Clementine, Alucard waited for her to fully awaken and for her to be the first to speak.

"A-Alucard-sama?" she asked, her eyes opening lazily

Her head slowly moved to meet him when she felt something tightening around her neck, widening her eyes she saw that the Supreme Being's right hand had gotten a hold on her neck, his eyes glowed red, for the first time in a long time, and his face was painted with rage. Since she had just woken up, Clementine hadn't readied herself for the attack, instinctually she placed her hands around his wrist and tried to pull him away.

"Is something wrong, Clementine!? Did you think, I would allow you to walk over my orders once more!? When I told you, I would be taking away your will, it was a promise! That humanity, that humanity that a monster such as yourself enjoys having, you can forget it. I'm going to do what I should have done the first time I saw you, and take away that humanity!"

Blinded by rage, Alucard tightened his grip on her neck, the girl's face began to change color her words unable to escape her throat, his lips turned into a sickening grin, in his eyes her vulnerable and painful expression was the thing of beauty. Her hands fell to the side, her head moved back, Clementine's mouth was opened wide her tongue was out, and saliva flowed from it.

"Alucard-sama, please stop. This is not what you said you wanted." Talia said, in a motherly tone, placing her hands on his shoulders

The deadly glow dissipated from the vampire's eyes, his hand opened and Clementine collapsed on the bed, coughing violently, Alucard was frozen in place his eyes glued to the horror he had just unleashed, and what he was about to do.

"T-Thank you, Talia." he said, passing his right hand through his hair

"Clementine can you speak?" Talia asked, giving her master time to compose himself

"Y-Yes." the human replied

"What did you do?" Alucard growled

"I…I took Abraham's communicator…but it was in his room…He woke up and fired…I had to k-kill…his wife…to distract him and…escape…"

"I hope you have a good explanation for what you have done. Or I will be killing you, and that will be it." Alucard hissed, in a disturbingly low tone

Clementine proceeded to tell him everything, from the moment she entered her room to the moment she escaped back to the clearing and called him. Alucard intertwined his fingers and took a deep breath, his anger had greatly subsided, her story was an interesting one but he couldn't believe it there was nothing supporting it and given her past her word wasn't enough for him to believe her.

"You are telling me, that Albedo, the Overseer of the Guardians, wanted you to go to Abraham's manor and burn everything to the ground, to make sure whatever information he had was gone. Is that correct?"

"Yes. That is what I concluded." Clementine replied, her head lowered, her eyes on the bloodied sheets, her hands grabbing on to them

"Do you have evidence to support your story?"

Clementine screamed, she screamed internally, feeling the weight of having decided to go along with Albedo's plan fall on her. Evidence, she had no evidence, she was certain Alucard had already concluded that she had seen the report but saying that wouldn't help her, what could she say, how could she save herself?

"The item! The Assassin gave me an item! Please, Alucard-sama, let me go to my room I can show it to you!" she pleaded with him

"Will I know what item it is, once I walk into your room?" he asked, ignoring her desperation

"Yes."

"Touka, go to her room. Bring me back the item."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." taking a bow, Touka left

"You knew that there was a report that no one should read, correct?" Alucard asked, she nodded in reply

"I want an answer, Clementine."

"Yes, I knew."

"Yet, you decide to go into Ainz's room, which is already bad enough, and read it…" Alucard paused, taking another deep breath

"I was following orders…" the Supreme Being interrupted her

"That you said, come from Albedo who also is not allowed to read the report! From what you are saying she had read it, which I know won't happen, given her loyalty to Nazarick!"

"B-But she read it, she knew what was in it!" Clementine argued back

"Let's say that is true. Why would she, go after the information I and Ainz want? Why would she risk causing him that heartbreak? And why would she send someone like you, who is known for being less then…" Alucard paused

His mind made the connection, Alucard couldn't believe it made sense, at least why anyone would choose Clementine for such an obviously shady job. She had shown in the past to be act out of her own accord and even defy orders given to her, in a sense she was the perfect fall guy, looking at what she had done, or would have done, one could argue she did it for the sake of entertainment. With that being said, if she wasn't lying it could explain why someone would hire her to attack Abraham, even if she died they would think she had just bitten more than she could chew, like when Clementine fought Ainz.

"Alucard-sama, I have returned." Touka announced, entering the room and bringing him back from his thoughts

"Did you find it?"

"Yes." she replied, giving the item to him

"I see. One can use this when they aren't able to use [Gate], which would explain how Clementine managed to get to his home. And the report is detailed enough, that she could reach that clearing, and from the times she has seen us use the spell she could infer how to use it." Alucard said, Clementine growing paler with each word he said

"No! No, that isn't true. I don't know how to use that item, I wasn't told how to do it." Clementine quickly explained

"It wouldn't have been easy to get your hands on one of these items, since we don't keep them laying around or without proper protection. Especially, for someone like you…You say you don't know how to use it…" the vampire fell into deep silence once again

It wouldn't be easy for her to find out how to use the item, it would have been near impossible for Clementine to get her hand on one. Instructions had been given to everyone that those that he had brought in should only have access to such items with authorization. However almost anyone else in Nazarick could easily request them. Even if she had one, for Clementine to figure out how it worked, within such a short period of time, in his mind was also impossible he simply didn't imagine her being able to do it.

Alucard gulped as he considered that everything Clementine had said was true, how was that possible, how could he have overlooked the possibility she would read the report. Why would the report, lead her to do such a thing, to destroy something that could have given him and Ainz more information about their current situation, and even if possible a way to return. Alucard's eyes widened, he knew that the NPCs were grateful that they had not been left alone, was it possible that if they knew they could plan on leaving they would prevent them from doing so. Albedo loved Ainz, that much Alucard knew, was it possible that in fear of losing both her master and lover she went to such lengths? Was she able to do such a thing, to go so far?

Should he inform Ainz? No, at least not for now, Alucard was unsure how his friend would react, it was possible that he would blame himself for reprogramming Albedo, that is if Clementine was telling the truth. His eyes went to her, he then looked back at his Brides, how should he act, he said he would take away Clementine's humanity, even kill her, but now he wasn't so sure that was the right choice.

"I have decided what will happen." he announced

"Clementine, for now, you will stay here as my "play thing", that will be your punishment…"

At that moment, someone knocked at his door, he froze and for the first time in a while he could feel is heart being to race, he quickly looked at his Brides motioning them to silently make their way to the closet, giving Talia the item as she left.

"Who is it?" he asked

"It's Albedo."

He looked at Clementine, and motioned her to remain silent, he looked down and noted he was still in only his pants and boots, thinking of a way to explain the situation, he went to open the door.

"Good to see you Albedo. Do you need anything?" Alucard asked, placing himself between her and Clementine

"I was informed that Clementine was seen leaving Ainz-sama's room. I was wondering if Alucard-sama had perhaps seen her?" Albedo asked, lowering her gaze so as not to look at his exposed upper body

"Actually, I have." Giving the Overseer a toothy grin, he stepped to the side revealing Clementine laying on a bloodied bed, with parts of her armor missing

"I found her, shortly after she exited his room. She wasn't very smart when she tried to lie her way out of it. And since my previous approaches haven't worked, I've decided to put her to some good use." the vampire informed, noting the look Albedo gave the woman once she looked at her

"I see. Will this be her punishment?" Albedo asked

"Indeed. I will be keeping her here, so as to satisfy my several needs. But I'm sure you are not interested in that."

"N-No, not at all, Alucard-sama." Albedo remarked, with a slight blush

"Is there anything, else I can help you with?"

"No. Thank you for your time, Alucard-sama." she replied, with a bow

"Then, as you can see her wounds have healed, which means it's time for round 2. If you need anything, just knock." with that Alucard closed the door

* * *

Albedo stood in front of the door, her angel like expression dropped, how troublesome Alucard was lying to her, why would he do that? Had he believed that woman's words? Or was his "put her to some good use" her punishment, and he was simply hiding what had she had done to deserve it? If that was the case, there should be no immediate problems, either way Albedo would have preferred the woman's death. Her expression then turned perverted and twisted, her love how proud he would be of her if he knew how diligent she was, how she gave it her all to keep peace within Nazarick.


	35. Cleaning Up

Alucard searched through his closet for a Resurrection Wand, he was sure he had some somewhere amongst his several possessions. He had already equipped his black armor, had sent Nyx to find out if the item given to Clementine had been reported as missing, sent Talia to Ainz's room to question the Eight-Edge Assassins that were normally stationed there, Touka had taken Clementine's armor and sent it to be fixed. He knew that if he contacted Ainz and asked him where he kept his wands the guild master would tell him, but for the moment Alucard didn't want to bother him with the disastrous situation, that conversation would be for when Ainz returned.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alucard found what he was looking for and marched out of his closet, hiding the wand he grabbed Shi and Abraham's communicator, he was about to open a [Gate], when Clementine, now wearing rags, emerged from the training chamber.

"What are you doing? Stay in there and close the door, Touka will be back shortly." Alucard said, opening the portal

"Why am I staying here? After what I've done, I was certain I would be punished. I know Alucard-sama does not believe what I said." she replied

"It is not that I don't believe you, the fact of the matter is that I can see how someone could have organized what you did. However, you don't have any evidence to support that claim, especially when you are accusing Albedo…" Alucard said, but Clementine spoke over him

"That's the truth! I would have had nothing to gain from doing this on my own. I'm not stupid, Alucard-sama, and I don't have death wish~"

"Noted. For now remain here, it is the only place you will be safe. Touka will return shortly, she and the rest of my Brides are instructed to protect you, go back inside the chamber till then."

"Yes, Alucard-sama~" Clementine said, with a bow

* * *

Alucard went through the portal and emerged on the clearing, his nostrils were filled by the scent of Clementine's blood, the smell itself was enough to send his mind back into chaos, how had he allowed such a mess to happen while he was at Nazarick. Ignoring those thoughts, he ran thought the woods, it now fell on him to fix as much of the damage Clementine had made, and since he knew the wands worked he was feeling optimistic.

Arriving at the front door he knocked and waited, till a maid came to open it, she looked at him with blank eyes, surely, she had seen what had happened.

"M-My apologies, b-but the master…" she began to said, but Alucard calmly spoke over her

"That is why I am here. I sensed that something was wrong. Please let me help."

The woman didn't reply, she simply moved aside allowing him to enter the house, having detected the smell of blood Alucard made his way to the source, which was the master bedroom. Entering the room, which door had been knocked down, he was somewhat shocked by what he saw, there was blood near the door, on the floor and walls, on the floor were the remains of Clementine's arm. His eyes went to the bed, the side to his left was clean, with Yin on the floor, while the other was painted crimson, there rested Claudia, with a very visible whole in her chest, directly over the heart. Next to her, was the thing he found the most shocking, Abraham was on his knees, his hands grabbing his wife's left hand, his face red and painted with tears, the man sobbed uncontrollably, if he didn't know him Alucard wouldn't say he was a mighty vampire hunter.

"Abraham…" Alucard tried to speak, but the man looked at him which caused him to freeze in place

In the eyes of Abraham, there were little signs of sadness, they were dominated by rage, pure and undying rage at the monster that had taken away his wife.

"Why are you here?" the man growled

"I've come to help. I sensed that something happened, that is why I came…" once more he was interrupted, as Abraham got back to his feet and let go of his wife

"How are you, a vampire, going to help me, with my dead wife!?"

"I…I can bring her back…" the Supreme Being replied, making his voice as calm as possible, not wanting to further enrage the man

"Are you serious? Is this a joke? Bring her back…you stand here, in my house, and dare to suggest such a thing!? To bring Claudia back, as one of your minions!?"

Alucard cursed himself for not having specified how he would do it right away, given Abraham's current mental state he should have expect this reaction, calmly he materialized the wand and presented it to Abraham.

"If you heard of my meeting with Gazef, you know that that the time I was accompanying a man named Ainz Ooal Gown, for my services at that time I was given payment in the form of items. That one I was told, could bring back the dead."

"Are you certain?" Abraham asked, seemingly accepting the idea

"The man who gave me this wand, is a powerful magic caster. If he says it works, it will work."

"T-Then d-do it." the human said, in an almost commanding tone

"I will, but I have to be sure that no one else, outside of the people currently in this building know of what is about to happen, whatever the result is."

"You have my word. Even if I have to pay my servants, they won't say a word about this. Now do it!"

Alucard proceeded to walk up to the body and use the wand, for a moment there was nothing, then the wound began to close, a few seconds later the body began to breath, and shortly after she opened her eyes. Letting out an agonizing sound, what Alucard presumed to be her death rattle, Claudia sat back up and Abraham immediately rushed to her side, what happened next was obvious but Alucard wasn't the sentimental type, so he left them alone in the room going into the hallway.

Once he was in the hallway he noticed a broken window at the end of it and a blood trail leading to the window, looking out he saw that it lead to the forest, meaning that this must have been Clementine's escape route. He heard the sound of people going into the room, and their surprised gasps, the cries of joy, it seems like he was able to fix this problem, which only left the issue of who was behind this.

"I don't know how to thank you." Abraham said, approaching him

"There is no need for that. But could you tell me what happened?" Alucard asked, and the man's expression turned dark

"I woke up, it was still early in the morning, my eyes open and I see a woman reaching for my communicator. I…I didn't react right away, she runs for the door, I get up from the bed and fire, it hit her in the arm, but she didn't stop, she goes through the door and I ready myself to fire again, she looks at me but throws her Stiletto at my wife…" Abraham goes silent

"You don't need to tell me anything else, I understand. What do you think she wanted?"

"Money… I don't know, the communicator does look like a crystal, I could imagine someone mistaking it for one." Abraham replied, but not even he seemed convinced that was the reason

"Well, lucky for you I found it on my way here. It was by a large pool of blood." the vampire informed, handing the communicator over to Abraham

"The body?"

"It wasn't there. Perhaps she wasn't alone."

"You think more will come?" Abraham asked

"Well, the fact they sneaked into Abraham Van Helsing's house and walked into your bedroom, shows they are commuted. Yes, I believe they might return."

"I'll kill every one of them! After what they did to Claudia…"

"And I'm sure you can do it. But if they are coming here, you have to be smart about this. You have to think about your family."

"Then, what do you suggest? That I stay here and wait for them to comeback?"

"Yes. This time they got you by surprise, you weren't ready, but now you know of the possible threat. Next time you will be ready to deal with them, and I will be in the area so you can call on me if you need me."

Having done what, he had come to the manor to do, Alucard gave Abraham a nod and walked away, he was already out of the house when he heard Abraham come running after him.

"D-Don't try to escape so easily, vampire. For what you have done…for bringing back Claudia… how can I repay you?"

"You're already giving me the information I want. If there is something else, I'll make sure to tell you."

"The information! I can go get it right away." Abraham said, already turning around to go and get it

"No need to rush things. You have to go look after your family now, and I have a lot of time on my hands, a few more days won't make much of a difference." Alucard pointed out, with a friendly smile

"Indeed, I guess vampires do have a lot of time…" the human sighed, obviously still affected by what happened

"I'll leave you to deal with the rest. See you around, Abraham." just like that the vampire vanished

* * *

Returning to his room, Alucard removed his hood and made his way into his training chamber, his Brides were waiting for him there, with Clementine standing behind them.

"Welcome back, Alucard-sama." they greeted

"Report." the Supreme Being commanded, and Talia took one step forward

"I have questioned the Eight-Edged Assassins in Ainz-sama's room. At first they were reluctant to answer my questions, but I was able to get the answers we needed. To begin with they were not stationed in the chamber, the day Clementine read the report, it seems that for a small period of time the room was not under surveillance, since they were called upon to take part in some security exercises. From what they told me the one to call upon them was Mare-sama. They also said that in the day you placed the report on the desk, Albedo-sama did in fact read it, and they described her reaction as being troubling. They didn't remember the words, but she said something about leaving."

Alucard raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes went to Clementine, even if Albedo wasn't the one to give her the orders, why would she read the report, but above that why would she do so when being watched. No, he could see an explanation for this, he knew that there were things that made Albedo react impossibly, that must be the reason she made the shortsighted mistake of reading the report and reacting in a way that was seen as "troublesome". However, in the day that Clementine went in, it matched the time no one was in the room, ignoring the fact the door was left open, he doubted she would know at what time the chamber would be empty, since that information wasn't disclosed to her, and she wouldn't have an easy time finding out. From what Talia said, Mare was the one to call upon the Assassins, but that could be a simple coincidence, from his point of view Mare wasn't the kind that could or would do such a thing, but Albedo, as one of the smartest minds in Nazarick could be able to do it.

"Anything else, Talia?"

"No, Alucard-sama." she replied, taking a step back, with Nyx taking a step forwards

"From all the Faux Gate items that currently exist, and are registered, in Nazarick's records, which are 30. Ten of those are being used for the security exercises, Mare-sama was the one to take them from storage. I-I took the liberty to go and talk to him, he told me that one went missing, but he hasn't reported on it because he doesn't wish to worry the Supreme Beings with such things, and I think he's afraid of being reprimanded." Nyx informed

"Do you still have the item with you?" Alucard asked

"I do."

"Did you happen to ask him, if someone gave him the order to pick up the items?"

Nyx's eyes grew wide, telling Alucard that she hadn't thought of that, the youngest Bride took a deep bow, all the while apologizing for her failure.

"No need for that, Nyx. You already went beyond what I asked of you when you questioned Mare."

"Thank you, Alucard-sama!" Nyx said, keeping herself in the same bowing position

"Please rise." the vampire said, in a friendly and warm manner, straightening her posture Nyx took one step back

"Touka, I take it Clementine's armor will be repaired?"

"Yes, Alucard-sama."

"Good work, all of you."

Alucard turned to walk out of the training chamber, he had no need to give his Brides any orders since for the moment their default order is to look over Clementine. As he was about to exit, Clementine spoke out at him.

"What about me, Alucard-sama~?"

"You'll remain here, especially now that I'm starting to believe your word even more… But, I did say you were to remain here as a "play thing", and you did decide to follow orders without asking me for permission first." Alucard replied, his lips turning into a grin and Clementine went pale

"Talia, Touka, Nyx plese show her the errors of her ways. But make sure she isn't in too bad a shape, and there is no need to heal her after you're done." he continued, closing the chamber door behind him

* * *

Changing back to his pants, boots, and trench coat, Alucard placed Shi on his desk and placed his hands through his head. What a mess, he couldn't believe that at the moment Clementine's story was sounding plausible, if Albedo had said something about leaving he knew she most have been talking about the section of the report where the talked about them possibly leaving this world. He knew how the NPCs would feel if they heard about this, and if he and Ainz did actually leave, Albedo loved Ainz and Alucard had seen and had heard off how obsessive her love was. The idea she might have done all of this out of love, only made his headache grow, if that was the case, she had gone as far as trying to destroy Abraham's information to prevent them for leaving. One of the strongest NPCs in Nazarick, influential to the point she was the one to "replace" Ainz when he was out, however she felt some kind of obsessive love for him, which was coupled with unconditional loyalty. However such loyalty was overwritten by her feelings, yet for her intelligence she was shortsighted this was proven by the fact she read the report in front of the Assassins, but went to great lengths to hid her involvement with Clementine.

"Dammit…" Alucard hissed, passing back and forth

What should he do? He couldn't tell Ainz, or it would be difficult to do it, he already felt guilty enough for having changed her settings, telling him she might have done something like this, would probably devastate him. How should he deal with her, Alucard knew the answer to that one, for the moment he couldn't do a thing, he did something against her Ainz would pick it up, and he didn't want to make an enemy out of Albedo. So far, she had only acted against Abraham and his information, which meant he was limited to keeping an eye on her and try to prevent something similar from happening again.

"And here I thought things were boring around here…" Alucard laughed


	36. Reunion

Alucard was in one of the many large and empty chambers in Nazarick, he had decided to come and watch the training sessions of Hamsuke and the Lizardmen, but it didn't surprise him to see others there. Brain was doing work both as a trainee and trainer, much to his surprise Lottus and his brothers were helping some of the weaker Lizardmen learn how to better deal with opponents who could use magic, Zesshi sat on the floor trying to solve a Rubik's cube. He wasn't watching alone, his Brides were with him, and so was Clementine, her was a mess, the rags she wore had some blood stains and her body was slightly bruised, her wrists were chained.

Clementine's presentation was a necessary façade, at least for the time being, since he had to give everyone the idea she was being punished for something she did wrong. As he watched the training Alucard wondered if he could have done more for Abraham, perhaps he could have sent someone to keep an eye on his house, or have them moved to another location. Quickly he saw that perhaps those weren't the best options, Albedo seemed to have believed what he said about Clementine's punishment, even if she didn't, he knew he shouldn't use resources on Abraham, since it would get them too much attention. In the case Albedo did believe his excuse, if she saw him moving his subordinates to watch over the manor she would know the truth, and may even do something in retaliation. For now, he waited and placed his faith in Abraham, the human wasn't weak so if he wasn't caught by surprise he would be able to handle his own and call Alucard for help.

"To believe an oversized rodent could actually learn Martial Arts." Touka remarked, looking at Hamsuke

"She looks so fluffy." Nyx pointed out

"I'm going to go talk to Zesshi. Feel free to go train or help any of those here." Alucard said, beginning to walk away from his Brides and Clementine

"Yes, Alucard-sama." the Brides replied

"W-What about me~?" Clementine asked

"With me." the vampire growled, she simply nodded and followed

Making his way towards Zesshi, Alucard noticed that she solved two sides of the cube which baffled him since he was certain she had been working on that thing for a considerable amount of time. Raising her head slightly the half elf noticed the approaching Supreme Being and Clementine, whose appearance honestly shocked her, she had never seen Clementine in such a miserable state. What surprised her even more, was that she was in that state while with Alucard, she knew that that sort of treatment could be done in the Frozen Prison, but she found it odd Alucard himself would do such things, and then walk around seemingly showing his work to others.

"Alucard-sama." she greeted, rushing to her feet and bowing

"Zesshi. I see you are…busy." Alucard said, with a weak laugh

"Well… This cube offers me a bigger challenge than anyone of them." Zesshi said, motioning to the ones training

"Indeed, the ones here are not at your level. I could ask one of my Brides to help you out or… I can do it." the vampire suggested, with a large grin

Zesshi eyed him down, he wasn't wearing his armor and didn't have his weapon with him, managing to ignore his currently exposed abs, her attention went to his face. It wasn't a bad idea, since she had been bored out of her mind for a while, pretty much since the last time Alucard gave her something to do.

"I don't have a weapon to spar with." she pointed out, dropping the cube

"Neither do I. But how good are you at hand-to-hand combat?"

The half elf rolled her eyes, she was hoping he wouldn't bring up that idea, from his fight with Ainz Zesshi had seen how Alucard fought, and she wasn't interested in being on the receiving end of that. Even if his fighting style wasn't completely alien to her, there were those in the Theocracy with similar a fighting style, which had been given to them by one of their gods, she had no official training in it. Zesshi had no need to learn such things, she could easily overwhelm her opponents with raw power, or her equipment, there was no reason for her to know how to fight with her hands.

"If you insist." she sighed

"Then, let's move over here."

The duo, with Clementine slowly walking behind them, went to an area of the chamber that wasn't being used by the others, they kept a 5 meter distance from each other. Zesshi took the best stance she could muster, while she saw her superior take the same stance he took when he fought Ainz. The people that were training suddenly stopped, noticing the eminent showdown, they made their way to them quickly forming a small crowd near the duo, Zesshi felt her palms grow sweaty, not because of the large group of people, but memories of having seen Alucard fight Ainz and he own fight with him.

"Whenever you are ready." Alucard said

Zesshi let out a war cry and charged at her opponent going for a right hand, Alucard dodged to her left and kicked her leg, easily sweeping it from under her resulting in the half elf falling face first into the ground.

"What's the matter elf? Don't tell me that in a real fight you would go down that easily?" Alucard asked, jumping away from her, and resuming his stance

"I-It isn't fair… I'm not as experienced as you are." Zesshi growled back, getting back to her feet

"What did you say, elf? I didn't take you for the type to make excuses."

Alucard prepared himself for her next attack, but found himself being interrupted by a [Message] from Ainz.

[Alucard-san, I'm on my way back. I'll be in my room in about a minute, I would appreciate if you were to meet me there.]

For a split second his attention went from the exercise to the message, which was enough time for Zesshi to charge at him for another attempt at a left hand punch. When his senses went back to the fight, Zesshi was to close for him to dodge in time, her closed fist landed on his right cheek, to which he replied with hitting her in the gut with his left palm. The half elf staggered backwards, quickly preparing herself to go on the offensive once more, but she was stopped when Alucard raised his hand.

"That is enough, for today." he informed

"A-As you wish, Alucard-sama." she said, taking a bow

"I'm going to go and meet Ainz, so everyone get back to training. Brides, you are free to do as you wish till I return, but make sure at least one of you stays with Clementine."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." the Brides replied

Walking away, Alucard looked around to make sure no one was looking at him, before placing his hand on his jaw, he had forgotten that Zesshi possessed considerable strength, even without her original equipment. She also seemed to lack an understanding of the concept of holding back, either that or she was taking a simple sparring session too seriously.

* * *

Arriving at Ainz's room via [Gate], he saw that Albedo was already there standing by the entrance.

"Welcome, Alucard-sama." she greeted

"Albedo."

Shortly after Ainz and Narberal arrived, removing their disguises, the maid greeted both Alucard and Albedo before being dismissed by Ainz. The Overlord took a seat on his desk and as soon as he did so Albedo rushed to his side, her wings flapping, her body squirming with overwhelming excitement.

"Welcome back, Ainz-sama. Would you like to have something to eat? Would you like to have a bath? Or would you like to have… me?"

Alucard watched the awkward scene taking place before him, Ainz starred at Albedo for a brief moment, visibly at a loss for words, seeing this Alucard decided he should help him out.

"Should I leave you two alone? And come back in about…half an hour?" Alucard asked, Ainz attention turned to him, letting out a weak cough before replying

"Very funny, Alucard-san. Albedo, I am pleased that you came here to welcome me, but I have something that I need you to do. Narberal is waiting for you outside, she will inform you on what that is."

"T-Then I am to l-leave?" Albedo asked, with an almost heartbroken expression

"Yes. As I said, you are needed else were. But don't worry we will have time to catch up after that." Ainz replied

"But, Ainz-sama I've…" she tried to say, but the guild master lifted his hand to silence her

"Albedo, we don't have time for this, Narberal is waiting for you."

"My apologies, Ainz-sama. I'll take my leave." with that she left

"I've given Narberal instructions on a meeting in the Throne room, that will take place in 2 hours, however I needed Albedo to actually see things through." the Overlord explained, once they were alone

"Then why not tell her yourself?" Alucard asked

"I want to use the time between now and the meeting for us to go over your report."

"I see. But before we move on to that, I have to inform you on an incident that relates to that."

"Incident?"

"Yes. Clementine, even after being informed about the nature of the report, she made her way into this chamber and read it. After that she went and attacked Abraham and his home, she didn't go unnoticed and was heavenly injured, killing his wife in the process. But there is no need to worry, I used one of my wands to resurrect her and have taken it upon myself to punish Clementine."

"Then, there was no irreversible damage?" Ainz asked

"No. But for the moment, Abraham will be on his guard, since I had to come up with an excuse for the attack."

"I see… Anything else?"

Alucard had already decided that for the time being, he would not tell Ainz about Albedo's probable involvement.

"No, there isn't."

"Let me read the report first. We will discuss it after. You should take a seat."

Doing as his friend suggested, Alucard took a seat and waited for him to finish reading the report. It took some time, since Ainz was being especially careful to take in everything Alucard had written and connecting the pieces of information in his mind.

"Alright, I'm done." Ainz informed

"What do you think?"

"The various references to vampire related fiction, was that on purpose?" Ainz asked, in a playful manner

"From what we can conclude, this Gustave Helsing was a big fan of those, can't blame him for using what he knew once he arrived at this world." Alucard replied

"True. This Abraham, from what you have told me, and what I understand from the report, he could prove to be a useful ally. However, that would only work under the right circumstances, like you mentioned in the future our interests may become conflicted, that is why we need that information as soon as possible." the Overlord pointed out

"Agreed. I gave them some time to recompose themselves after the attack, but I will be back there soon. About this information, what are you hoping we will find?" the vampire asked

"From what you told me, Abraham didn't mention anything about Gustave's life on the other world. While learning of his own experiences in this world, will be useful for us, it would be very helpful if he had left behind some "out of character" notes that we could use."

"Abraham hasn't mentioned anything like that, which means such notes don't exist or he doesn't know about them. Hopefully it will be the latter option."

The discussion continued for a while longer, but ended much sooner than the given 2 hours, so naturally the conversation went into normal topics. Being given an opening Alucard, decided to ask Ainz a Albedo related question.

"So, you and Albedo. Are you planning on doing anything about that?"

"W-Well…I…I don't think there is much I can do about her. I altered her settings, this whole situation is my fault, but I don't think there is a way to change her feelings for me." Ainz replied, to which Alucard began to laugh

"I mean will you act on her feelings, you know since she wants to jump your bones, literally."

"I-I can't do that…What kind of boss would I be if I did something like that to an employee. Besides, with my emotion suppressor, I believe it would be complicated…" Ainz said, sounding flustered

"Then you've thought about it!" Alucard shouted, pointing accusatorily at the guild master, to which Ainz gasped

"…I can't say I haven't… I mean she doesn't make things easy, does she?" Ainz paused

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Alucard asked back, raising an eyebrow at his friend

"Have you… acted upon… someone?" Ainz said

"Subtle. And no, I've not, because unlike you I don't have someone trying to jump me at every opportunity she gets. Even Shalltear has been relatively calm, now a days. But I can't say it's easy, unlike you my emotions aren't suppressed, in truth many things have been enhanced one of them being my libido."

"T-Then why haven't you acted upon those urges? Since you don't seem to have the same boss employee mentality as I do." Ainz asked, Alucard couldn't stop thinking of how the conversation had taken a strange turn

"A general sense of decency… I really don't want to, or like, going around "acting upon" several people. It isn't like I haven't considered it, or would mind, but I have to retain some sense of decency." Alucard explained

"But, what is this meeting about?" he asked, trying to take the conversation to another topic

"I want to reward some of the NPCs for the work they've done. And I will also be speaking about the direction I want things to go in."

"Sounds good. Can't wait to see what happens." Alucard said

"Will you bring your Brides with you?"

"I don't know. I may just take Talia, the others will remain with Clementine. I'm keeping someone with her at all times."

"Why didn't you send her to the Frozen Prison, and let Neuronist handle her?"

"I've done that in the past, didn't work. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands, so far so good."

"Is that so…" Ainz mumbled

"Unless you don't mind me bringing her to the Throne Room, just don't expect her to be in presentable shape."

"No. There is no reason to bring her along, just have Talia accompany you like you said."

"Will do. Speaking of which, if I'm not wrong the meeting will take place soon. Shouldn't you go and get ready?" Alucard asked, causing Ainz to look down at his clothing, which was the normal robe he used

"I believe I am ready."

"Mentally prepared. After all you have been gone for some time now, just like Albedo the others were eagerly expecting your arrival. So, you need to make sure that once step into the Throne Room you are ready to step back into the role of ruler." Alucard explained

"Role of ruler…how troublesome." the Overlord sighed

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you are afraid of something? You've been doing a wonderful job as the ruler of Nazarick." Alucard remarked, getting up from his seat

"I appreciate the complement, Alucard-san. But it's a tiering role to play, to the point I'm amazed that things are going as smoothly as they are."

"Just proves how good you are."

"Or lucky." Ainz argued

"Either way. Things wouldn't be like they were, if you weren't at the helm."

The sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted their conversation.

"Who is it?" Ainz asked

"It's Albedo, Ainz-sama." the being on the other side replied, causing Ainz to look at Alucard

"Don't mind me."

"Enter." Ainz said, to which the Overseer obeyed

"The time for the meeting to start is approaching." Albedo informed

"I'll leave you to get ready, Ainz. I should go and get Talia." Alucard announced

"I'll see you back at the meeting, Alucard-san." replying to his friend with a wave, Alucard turned to leave

"Alucard-sama." Albedo said, taking a small bow

Alucard's eyes moved lazily to Albedo as was rising from her bow, even if her hair was slightly obstructing her face he could see her eyes. When they meet it was as if all the air was sucked out of the room, for a moment there was nothing but him and her, he could see the rage in her eyes all of it directed towards him. When she finally composed her stance and her face was fully revealed the hate simply dissipated, like nothing had happened, and just to make things worse she spoke.

"Is something wrong, Alucard-sama?" she asked, her face decorated with her usual angel like expression

"Not at all." Alucard replied, exiting and closing the door behind him

* * *

"I'm sorry if I interrupted the conversation, Ainz-sama." Albedo said, taking an apologetic bow

"No need, Albedo. We were just finishing it, when you arrived."

"I see…I have something I want to ask, however I fear it is not my place to ask it." she informed, in a somewhat shy manner

"What is it?" Ainz asked, with an understanding tone

"Did Alucard-sama, mention the fact Clementine entered your room?"

"You knew about it?"

"In a sense, I was informed she had been seen exiting your room. I then went to look for her and asked Alucard-sama if he had seen her. However, when I did so, it would seem that he had already caught and punished her. He said she would be placed into "good use" and to "satisfy" his several needs, it seemed to be a rather brutal punishment." Albedo replied

"Brutal?"

"Y-Yes. Her wounds had been healed, b-but she was laying on Alucard-sama's bed and it was stained with blood, lots of it."

"I-I see…" Ainz said, wondering in his mind what had his friend done


	37. Diaries of Gustave

After the meeting, which went from rewarding some of the NPCs to them exposing their wishes for world domination, and ending in the proposal of forming an independent nation, Alucard and Ainz were the first to leave the Throne Room. Albedo was accompanying Ainz, and Talia was with Alucard, the Overlord was walking behind his vampire friend, his mind was still fixed on what Albedo had told him, to be honest it had been bothering Ainz during the entire meeting.

"A-Alucard-san." he spoke out, getting his friends attention

"Yes?" Alucard asked

"…Albedo told me about the punishment you have decided to give Clementine." Ainz replied, pausing as if not knowing what to say next

Alucard and Talia stopped, the True Vampire turned around to look at the guild master, Talia only turned to her side so she would be able to eye the two Supreme Beings.

"I apologize if I have spoken of something I shouldn't, Alucard-sama. But, as the Guardian Overseer I thought that I should inform Ainz-sama on the current situation of Nazarick's denizens. Even if such denizen is one of the outsiders Alucard-sama brought in." Albedo informed, a subtle hint of disgust layered her final phrase

"You did your job, Albedo, I understand that." the vampire said

"Albedo told me, you were putting Clementine to good use and…to satisfy your needs."

Alucard's face turned somewhat red, as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, Talia had also formed a slight blush at the mention of her master's needs.

"Did you really need to ask that out loud? And in front of everyone?" Alucard asked, in a playful manner

"S-Sorry, I was couldn't stop thinking about what Albedo told me." Ainz replied, with a weak laugh

"I understand. But there is no need to think too much into it, I just decided to try a hands-on approach with Clementine, since all the other attempts at disciplining her have failed. And yes, the way I worded it when Albedo came and talked to me wasn't the best way to put it, but at that moment I was more angered than anything else. So, I apologize if I gave you the wrong idea." Alucard said, with a small bow

"There's no need for that, Alucard-san. You are talking as if I was interrogating you, I was just a little curious, that's all."

"Don't explain yourself, it's fine. Let's get going, I ordered Tsuare to meet me in my room after the meeting was over. She's going to be delivering Clementine's meal, and I prefer to be the one to give it to her." Alucard said

"Then you should get going. I already feel like I'm slowing you down, with how slow I walk compared to you." Ainz said

"If you don't mind it. Talia, let's get going."

* * *

Arriving at his room, Alucard saw that Tsuare was already waiting for him, with a tray in her hand which had a plate with a simple stew on it.

"Alucard-sama." she greeted

"Like always, thank you for the meal, Tsuare." Alucard said, taking the tray from her hands

"T-Thank you, Alucard-sama." taking another bow, Tsuare left

Alucard and Talia entered his room, with the Bride closing the door behind them, the Supreme Being entered his training chamber where Nyx and Touka were guarding Clementine, who was sitting at a corner.

"Touka, Nyx, Talia will inform you on the topics discussed during the meeting." Alucard announced

Talia motioned her sisters to follow her outside the chamber, leaving their master alone with Clementine, the woman was still sitting in the corner, of course she wasn't bound by chains at the moment, the rags that sufficed as her clothing were still stained with her blood and her hair was a mess. This was all just a cover, mostly one, under the guise of her being punished Alucard kept her close by just in case Albedo would try something against her, whatever punishment she truly deserved had already been given at this point.

Alucard looked down at her, who replied by looking up at him, getting back to her feet and bowing to greet him, once more a disturbing thought came to his mind, one that he knew would have never crossed his mind when he was human. Clementine's messy appearance, the hair that covered her face a long with some lingering bruises which made her look submissive, in his eyes, in the eyes of his vampire self, it was beautiful.

Ignoring the unwanted thoughts, Alucard placed the tray on the floor and both individuals took a seat, it wasn't rare for Clementine to be eating and Alucard to be watching her, they sometimes talked, but it was mostly to make sure she behaved.

"Is something wrong, Alucard-sama~?" Clementine asked, as she ate

"Not really. Why you ask?" Alucard asked back, being brought back from his less than healthy thoughts

"You were staring at me~ With such a lewd look in your eyes~" she replied, with a shy tone

"You're delusional." Alucard growled back

"I apologize, Alucard-sama~" Clementine said, in somewhat mocking tone

"But if you wish to have me, please do not hold yourself back~ Even if saying I am your "play thing" was just part of the plan, I don't mind if you wish to use me like one~"

Dropping her silverware, Clementine began to crawl towards him, with the hair hiding her eyes only her seductive smile could be seen, when she was at arm's reach of him Clementine froze in place. His expression was enough to tell her that she was going too far, that even if he was interested nothing would be happening, and she should go back to her meal.

"My apologies~" she said, going back to eating

"Alucard-sama, your equipment is ready." Talia announced, entering the chamber

"Equipment~?" Clementine asked, looking up from her plate

"Yes. Me and Ainz decided that we should get Abraham's information as soon as possible. I will be leaving to see him after your done eating. Of course, once we get what we want from him, you will be released back into general population."

"Will it be safe for me to go back~?"

"Should be. The only reason I've kept you here for so long, was because I feared Albedo might want to get rid of you, in order to hide any relation Nazarick might have to the attack. But now that Ainz knows killing you would be pointless, and if you did die it would bring unwanted attention from Ainz."

"Guess it makes sense~"

When Clementine finished her meal, Alucard got up and walked away, taking the tray with him. Placing it on his desk, he changed into his black armored and picked up Shi, before opening a portal.

* * *

The portal lead into the clearing, making his way through the forest he quickly arrived at the Helsing manor and knocked at the door, after a small waiting period Claudia opened the door.

"Welcome… And thank you, Alucard." the maid said, taking a deep bow before him

"Don't think anything of it. I was just trying to help." Alucard said, trying to dismiss her gratitude

"Even so, please accept my honest gratitude. For someone who barely knows us, to go to such great lengths to help us. I am truly grateful."

"Claudia, we already talked about this. At least let him enter the house." Abraham laughed, coming down the stairs

"My apologies. Please enter." Claudia said, quickly moving to the side

"I'm glad to see you two are already in so high spirits." Alucard pointed out

"We have to be." Abraham remarked

"I take it you are here for the information I promised you?"

"Indeed I am."

Abraham motioned the vampire to follow him as he lead Alucard back into the underground cave. Walking up to his desk, Abraham used an ancient looking key to open one of the drawers and from it take out two books, they had roughly the same size and one was locked with a padlock.

"Here it is. These are the diaries of Gustave Helsing, everything I know that can be of some use to you is placed in these books." Abraham announced

"What's with the padlock on that one?" Alucard asked

"These are the secret thoughts of Gustave Helsing, something so secret that he said much never be touched…Unless the one who did it was like himself, a being from another world."

Alucard couldn't help but let his eyes widen with surprise, it was just like Ainz had suggested about Gustave haven't left "out of character" information behind, at least that was the only reason Alucard could think off for only someone from another world being allowed to read it.

"C-Can I take those?" Alucard asked

"No. These books will not leave my house." Abraham replied, in a stern manner

"Make copies?"

"No. These are unique, and I wish for them to remain that way."

That was a slight problem, Alucard was hoping he could at least make copies of the information so he could go through it at Nazarick, alongside Ainz.

"Take notes?" Alucard suggested

"Fine. If, you make sure no one else has access to, or can read them. This represents the beginning of my family, I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands."

"It won't, you can trust me on that."

"Then, take my seat by the desk. There is paper on one of the drawers, with pen and pencil if you need them." Abraham informed, distancing himself from the desk

"Thank you." Alucard said, taking the hunter's seat

Taking several pieces of paper and a pencil from the drawer, Alucard placed them to his left, while positioning the first book to his right. Taking a look at the first page, he saw it was written in English, so he chose to write his notes in Japanese, hopefully Abraham wouldn't mind him doing so.

The first diary was written from the point of view of Gustave Helsing, which was to be expected but it was fully made from the point of view of the "character" not the player. Alucard learned many things from it, Gustave's connections to the Thirteen Heroes and two other members of the group were players much like himself, and how they died much sooner than he did. It also talked about the vampire Landfall, and how she became part of the group and helped them fight the Evil Deities. It seems like Gustave separated from the group deciding he wanted to make a life by himself, however it is noted that he kept in contact with Landfall. The diary told how he, after taking on the role of a monster/vampire hunter saved the daughter of a wealthy man, and from that a relationship formed which lead to marriage. However, his wife died before him, which meant her families wealth was given to him and would be his child's when he dies as well, that being the origin of the Helsing families fortune.

All and all it gave him a lot of information on past events, and of the humble way a player could make his life on this world.

"Did you read the part about Landfall?" Abraham asked, with a slight small

"I did. What about it?"

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell her I was the one to tell you. Landfall, now goes by the name Evileye. You've heard of her?"

"Blue Rose, I have. Guess that would give us a topic of conversation if we ever crossed paths."

Having taken several notes, Alucard directed his eyes to the remaining diary, which Abraham had just opened, reading the first page Alucard felt his heart race with excitement. The first line began much like the one in the first book, however the name was not Gustave Helsing, but Alex Kaine a 20 year old office worker, and a virgin. This book would definably be the most interesting of the two, as it would give him and Ainz the point of view of a player who lived their lives in this world.

The events depicted in the second diary were similar to the first book, however they showed the true feelings Alex Kaine and not Gustave Helsing. Personally identifying with many of the things depicted in the diary, Alucard almost forgot the actual reason he was there for and took less notes than before. Which caused him to go back several pages, read them again and take the necessary notes, since Ainz should be as interested as he was. One of the things that forced an awkward laugh out of the vampire and for him to skip several pages, was the reference to his first time with his wife. Luckily something more interesting came after that, as it seems Alex decided to tell her the truth, apparently her initial reaction wasn't the best but with time she seemed to accept it.

"That…was a lot…" Alucard sighed, finishing the second book

"What can you tell from the second diary?" Abraham asked

"I thought you said, only people from the other world could know what was in it."

"I know. But you read it, what can you tell me, about the founder's secret thoughts?"

"He was a good man and a brave one at that. Braver than I am, for that he has my respect." Alucard replied, in a low tone, picking up his papers and getting up from his seat

"Braver than you are?"

"Yes. I'll be going now."

Alucard found it hard not to feel respect for Alex, he was just a normal person, with no special training just some office worker, who came to a strange world, completely alone, was lucky to find other players and in the end, create a good life for himself.

* * *

Arriving back in his room, Alucard was greeted by his Brides giving them a nod, the vampire made his way to Ainz's room, entering without announcing his presence, he was lucky Ainz was already alone.

"Something happen?" Ainz asked

"I have the information." Alucard replied, placing the several papers on the desk

"W-What did you find?"

"Interesting things. Nothing that would help with the idea of going back to our world, but we had expected that much. But I do have a question, who were you before becoming this?"

"Before this? You mean, the human me?" Ainz asked, scratching his chin with his bony fingers

"Yes. I guess we are lucky, that we were transported along with Nazarick and all its denizens, but what about those that are alone? It wouldn't be so easy as it was for us, that is what made me think of who we were before coming here."

"I see. I guess I could tell you, doesn't really matter now. I was Suzuki Satoru, a-a salary man." Ainz informed

"Not too bad of a promotion, wouldn't you say? From salary man to ruler, is not small feat." Alucard pointed out, with a laugh

"What about you, Alucard-san?"

"If I said it was above your paygrade, would that be enough?"

"Not really. Since right now, I out rank you." Ainz replied, with a confident chuckle

"Fair enough. Jack Briefs, I was part of a top-secret intervention team, we dealt with the messes others couldn't be bother to do, or simply weren't skilled enough to do." his answer warranted a surprised gasp from Ainz

"Really!?"

"Yes! What good would come from lying?" Alucard spat back, rolling his eyes at Ainz

"I guess that explains some things." Ainz said, in a thoughtful tone

"If you say so. You better get to reading my notes, if I'm not mistaken we don't have that much time till you leave again."

"Let's get to it then."


	38. Checkmate

Having read through Alucard's notes, Ainz couldn't help but identify with Alex Kaine but also feel fortunate he was lucky enough to be transported to this world with Nazarick, its denizens, and Alucard.

"What do you plan to do with the notes?" Alucard asked

"We'll let Demiurge and Albedo look over the notes on the first diary, there is no reason to keep those a secret. But I will definably be keeping the rest some place safe."

"Make sure you do. I can only imagine the headache caused if someone would find them." Alucard sighed

"What about Abraham, should we do something about him?" Ainz asked

"A dumb question, Ainz. As he is he is ignorant of Nazarick's existence, and we can still find ways to use him. Also, if anyone else knows of my connection to him, it would be troublesome if he died."

"Just making sure. Anything else we can use, from these notes? Outside of historical value."

"What about Evileye? Can't she be brought to our side?" Alucard suggested

"How would we convince her?"

"Well, you did say she was acting weird towards you. From what I understood, it might be because she has a thing for you. I say, you use that."

"Really!? If that's the case…she would be receptive to working with Momon. But I don't see when I can go and meet her…" Ainz said, but Alucard interrupted him

"Why not just go now, you still have some time before your scheduled departure?"

"Better not. If I am going to try something like that, I would prefer to have some time to come up with a proper plan."

"Understandable. I think I'll be making my way back to my room, I need to release Clementine." Alucard said, walking towards the exit

"Already?"

"Yup. I have no wish to cause permanent harm to her."

"Then, I'll see you around, Alucard-san."

"Like wise, Ainz."

Alucard stepped out of the room crossing paths with Albedo who was arriving at the door, carrying some reports in her hands.

"Alucard-sama." she greeted, taking a bow

"Albedo." Alucard greeted back, walking away

* * *

Getting authorization to enter the guild master's room, Albedo entered greeting Ainz at the entrance before making her way towards his desk, placing her reports on top of it as per his instructions.

"Good thing you are here, Albedo. Could you perhaps ad these to our historical records?" Ainz asked, motioning towards Alucard's notes

"C-Can I read them?" Albedo asked, in a shy manner

"Of course. These will help us better understand his world's history." Ainz replied, handing the notes to Albedo, who quickly took them from him

"As you wish, Ainz-sama. Anything else I could be of use for?"

"N-No…"

Ainz stopped as he looked at Albedo's face, she was blushed and her eyes beaming with lust, her wings were flapping slightly.

"Is something wrong, Albedo?" Ainz asked, feeling his emotions begin to act up

"My greatest apologies, Ainz-sama! I am showing my unbecoming side to you." Albedo gasped, taking a deep bow

Albedo cursed herself, the fact her beloved had said the information was of historical use, had caused her to lose control of her emotions, how couldn't she, they hadn't found anything of actual use. She was overjoyed by this, without the information Alucard had speculated upon Ainz-sama shouldn't consider leaving Nazarick, leaving her.

"No matter, Albedo. Now go and do as I have asked of you."

"As you wish, Ainz-sama." taking another bow, Albedo left

* * *

Alucard then proceeded to go back to his room, change into the outfit he usually wore when he was at Nazarick and went to take Clementine back to Green Hole. As he was returning to his room, he came across someone who he hadn't talked to in some time, Shalltear and two of her brides. Upon seeing the Supreme Being, Shalltear composed her posture and dress, taking a bow along with her servants.

"Alucard-sama." they greeted

"Shalltear." he said back, giving the brides an acknowledging nod

"I-It's been some time since we've talked… I miss our small talk." the female vampire informed, in a shy manner

"Is that so?" Alucard asked, with a thoughtful expression

"Y-Yes. But please don't let my words bother you, Alucard-sama. This one knows she has crossed the line many times, so much so Alucard-sama most likely doesn't see me as being able of having a proper conversation." Shalltear replied, spitting her words with quick succession

Harsh words for someone to say about themselves, but what she said wasn't exactly false, Shalltear had on several occasions turned a completely normal conversation into something perverted. However, Alucard had to admit that during their mission, if it wasn't for her things would have gotten rather boring, and her outbursts aside, she wasn't that bad a company or conversationalist.

"Indeed, that is true. But it has nothing to do with me not talking to you." Alucard informed, causing a hopeful smile to form in the Guardian's face

"T-Then, would Alucard-sama like to spend some time with me? Perhaps in the Grave Vault of Adipocere?" Shalltear suggested, with a slight blush

"Isn't that your home?"

"Indeed. B-But if Alucard-sama would prefer somewhere else, I will accept it. I-I just wanted some place we would not be so easily interrupted." she replied, with a shy expression

"I don't see any problems with that. [Gate]." Alucard pointed out, opening a portal in front of himself and Shalltear

* * *

The portal sent the group to the entrance to the Grave Vault of Adipocere, it looked like a massive old mausoleum, but the exterior in no way matched the luxury contained inside. The brides were the ones to open the door, stepping inside so their superiors could enter. Alucard was the first to enter, admiring the Victorian inspired decoration as he did so, stopping not too far from the entrance he waited for Shalltear to enter, followed by her brides who closed the door behind them.

"Where should I sit?" Alucard asked, looking around

"Anywhere is fine, Alucard-sama. This residence belongs to the Supreme Beings, I-I should be truly thankful that it was given to me." the female vampire replied

"I insist on asking. As a guest in your home, it is only proper that I do so."

"T-Then, perhaps on the sofa." Shalltear said, motioning to the large luxurious sofa in the middle of the room

Alucard nodded and took a seat on one of the sides, to which Shalltear replied by sitting on the opposite side, her brides following her every move.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked

"If you don't mind." Alucard replied

"You heard Alucard-sama! Bring him the best we have, and the same for me." Shalltear ordered, her posture and tone immediately changing

"Yes, Shalltear-sama." the brides replied, disappearing through one of the many doors

"I must say, this is a very beautiful home, Shalltear." Alucard pointed out, causing her to blush slightly

"There is no need, to say such things, Alucard-sama. This humble abode is nothing compared to the beauty of Nazarick."

"That is true. However, I find that that comparison is a unfair one, since the Grave Vault of Adipocere is part of Nazarick. The correct thing to say would be, that your home only helps to augment Nazarick's beauty."

Shalltear felt the hit begin to rise, in both her cheeks and abdomen, he was so kind, which someone like her didn't deserve, and had a way with words, that she couldn't resist. Perhaps it was just a mistake on her part, but Shalltear hoped that wasn't the case, as he spoke about the beauty of her home, she couldn't help but think that he was indirectly speaking of her.

"Was there anything in particular you would like to talk about?" Alucard asked

"Not really…I know, I saw Alucard-sama walk around with Clementine, she was in chains, does that mean Alucard-sama has taken her as a pet?" Shalltear asked

Alucard sighed internally, of course the conversation would end up at this topic sooner or later, after all it seemed to be unavoidable for her to find a way to take the conversation into a more perverted route.

"No, that isn't the case. I was simply punishing her, for something she did."

"But then, why not ask Neuronist to do that?"

"I decided to try a hands-on approach."

Shalltear felt the heat in her body rise even more, the word "hands-on" it made her think of all kinds of perverted things. She also could help but feel somewhat jealous of Clementine, since she wouldn't mind doing some chain play with Alucard.

"But will that approach work? I don't mean to question Alucard-sama's methods, but it seems all previous attempts to educate her have failed."

"Indeed, they have. But I think that this time around, she has learned her lesson."

"If she didn't, can I be the one to punish her next time?" Shalltear asked enthusiastically, causing Alucard to raise an eyebrow at her

"I could be the one to punish her next time. I would make her feel all kinds of pain, and pleasure." she added

"I appreciate the offer, but I would prefer you didn't do something like that to her."

"My apologies."

* * *

The brides were just finished preparing the drinks, the one that was in charge of making Alucard's materialized a bottle with red liquid from under her dress, to which the one looked nervously at her.

"A-Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" she asked

"Of course. It is the best thing for Shalltear-sama, and Nazarick." the other growled back

Opening the bottle, she dumped all its contents into the Supreme Being's drink, at first the two liquids did not mix, but when they finally did there was no distinction between Alucard and Shalltear's drink.

"What if he notices?"

"He won't."

Each bride picked up her respective glass and made their way back through the door, they placed the glasses on top of the table that was in front of the sofa, and the placed themselves behind the person they had served.

"We hope it is to your liking." they said, with a bow

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you two leave, and let us be alone for a while?" Shalltear growled at them

"Let them stay, Shalltear. I think the reason they are still here is because they want to see if they have pleased us with what they have prepared. Am I correct?" Alucard pointed out, looking at the two female vampires

"Yes, Alucard-sama."

"Fine. I'll have a drink now, and if I like it you two will leave. If I don't I will punish the both of you."

Both True Vampires picked up their glasses, with a timid motion Shalltear signaled for a toast, Alucard didn't understand why she would want to do one, but didn't refuse. He began by taking only a small sip of the liquid, immediately he felt something happen, his body began to grow hot and his thirst increased. Letting out an unfiltered growl, Alucard found himself drinking the contents of the glass in one swift motion, much to the surprise of Shalltear and her brides.

"Doesn't taste that good." Shalltear mumbled to herself

The Supreme Being stood motionless for a moment, before his eyes turned bright crimson, this was followed by the 3 other vampires moving themselves back by the sudden amount of bloodlust he was releasing.

"I-Is something w-wrong, Alucard-s-sama?" the bride who served his drink asked, managing to approach him

As soon as she got within arm's reach he closed his left hand, smashing the glass in the process, and moved his arm backwards removing the bride's head from her shoulders with ease. A frightened gasp escaped the two other female vampires, as Alucard got back to his feet, his head mechanically moved to look at Shalltear and the remaining bride.

[T-Talia!] he roared in his mind, via Message

[Yes, Alucard-sama!?] she asked, worry already audible in her voice

[Prepare for battle…t-the target is on the…2nd floor….Warn Ainz!]

[Who's the enemy?]

[Me] the Message ended

* * *

Alucard lunged at Shalltear grabbing the small vampire by the neck, easily lifting her off the ground, her bride said something he didn't understand which caused his attention to go to her. His mouth began to open, it moved as if some unseen force was forcing it to make such motions, his teeth were taking the appearance of needles, as he spoke

"Run!"

With one move from his arm he sent Shalltear flying through the entrance door and into the outside floor, his attention continued on the bride who he killed by punching her head out of her body.

Shalltear quickly got back to her feet and looked at where she had been sent flying from, a massive ear-piercing cry erupted from the same location, it was truly the sound of a beast. The beast soon revealed itself to be Alucard, in his original True Vampire form now reduced to only his shorts just like the last time.

The monster lunged at her as soon as their eyes meet, acting on instinct Shalltear summoned her Spuit Lance using it to block Alucard's claw attack, followed by swatting him away. Landing perfectly on his feet, even after a blow from her lance, Alucard let out a growl and went on the offensive again.

Shalltear threw a Fireball at the monster, hoping it would slow him down so she had time to summon her armor, much to her shock Alucard took the hit head on and threw himself into her, ramming his left-hand claws into her shoulder in the process. The female vampire was sent into the ground, having her other shoulder pinned down by Alucard's free hand, looking down at his fallen prey Alucard roared in her face, as if displaying his dominance to her.

Then she saw two blurs move above the beast, accompanied by the sounds of metal cutting into flesh, Alucard let out a loud pain filled screech as he stumbled away from Shalltear with his hands on his back.

"Look who has to come save your ass, once again?" Touka laughed, appearing behind Shalltear who was still getting back to her feet

"How are you three here!?" Shalltear asked, turning around to come face to face with Alucard's Brides

"We were called here." Talia replied

"By who!?"

"Alucard-sama." Nyx replied

"But what matters now is, what did you do to him?" Talia asked, looking accusatorily at the Guardian

"I did nothing to him!"

"Either way, we should do something about this." Touka pointed out, acting as the voice of reason

"True." Shalltear said

"But I don't want to do this again. Alucard-sama, please stop!" Nyx cried out, getting the beast's attention

Alucard looked at him, the two slashes they had caused him were already gone, his wild eyes fell on his Brides and he froze in place. He then looked down at his hands, as if examining their new form, suddenly he began to scream, the agonizing sound echoing through the entire 2nd floor, in between the screams he spoke.

"My…brain…TREMBELS!"

Alucard shouted, his hands wrapping around his skull, his nails beginning to dig their way into it, in a disgusting and maddening display.

"Everyone get ready." Talia said, placing herself in front of Shalltear

"What's the plan?" the Guardian asked

"Simple. Touka and Nyx will serve as distractions, and use sneak attacks. We will be the frontal assault. Our target is the True Vampire, Alucard. The objective is to immobile and contain him."

* * *

A few minutes later Ainz arrived, with him he brought Cocytus, Sebas and Albedo, already in her armor. What he saw went beyond what he had imagined to be possible, luckily none of them seemed to be dead, but the scene was still horrifying. Shalltear's house was on fire and part of it had been damaged by an explosion, Touka was collapsed on the floor part of her armor was gone, and the visible parts of her body seemed to have been mauled. Talia seemed to have been smashed into the floor several times, Nyx was nowhere to be seen Ainz suspected she was somewhere amongst the fire in Shalltear's home. Shalltear herself was staggering back to her feet, her armor covered in several bite and claw marks, she was panting heavily.

The one who had caused all of this, Alucard, was on the floor missing a leg and both arms, he had 3 holes punched into his body and was badly burned. However, he was already starting to regenerate, at a speed Ainz knew that was impossible under normal circumstances, and could be explained if he had entered a Blood Rage. Blood Rage being the point of no return for True Vampires, where they would only recover their senses after killing till they felt satisfied, or used all the excess blood stored in their bodies.

"What do you want us to do, Ainz-sama?" Albedo asked, no answer came

"Shall. We. Attack?" asked Cocytus, still no answer

"We have to protect the injured." Sebas pointed out, but Ainz said nothing

The Overlord was to focused on Alucard's form, now stumbling back to a quadruped position and placing his attention on all of them, just like a few moments ago he let out a ear-piercing roar.

"You…" he said, still looking in their direction

"You…did…this to ME!" with another roar, he ran at Ainz and his group

"Immobilize him!" Ainz ordered

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Alucard was subdued with the help of magic and enchanted chains, Ainz himself had been unharmed much like Albedo, Cocytus had a few minor scratches on him, while Sebas was missing part of his outfit along with several scratches and bite marks. Shalltear who had also helped them, was on her knees breathing heavily she felt completely drained from the battle.

"I want the injured treated as soon as possible, repairing the damage can come later." Ainz informed

"What about Alucard-sama?" Albedo asked, prompting Ainz look down at the snarling form of his friend

"…For the time being… place him in the Frozen Prison."

"As you wish, Ainz-sama."

After everyone was treated, a meeting took place in Ainz's room, those present were Ainz himself, Alucard's Brides, Shalltear and Albedo, the purpose of the meeting was to understand what had happened and what to do with Alucard.

"Shalltear, can you tell us what happened?" Albedo asked

"I invited Alucard-sama to the Grave Vault of Adipocere, so we could talk since it had been a while since we did so. Everything was normal, till he took a spit of his drink and then he went into a Blood Rage."

"What did you place in his drink?" Talia asked

"Nothing! I am a faithful servant of the Supreme Beings, I would never do such a thing!" Shalltear growled back

"And just so you know, I wasn't the one serving the drinks, my brides were."

"What happened to them?" Ainz asked

"They were killed."

"Even if they had done anything, their bodies and any evidence was destroyed during the fight." Albedo pointed out

"What evidence!? They may be idiots, but they wouldn't do something like that. Especially to a Supreme Being." Shalltear growled back

"Very convenient for you, isn't it?" Touka mumbled

"Silence!" Ainz ordered

"That theory makes no sense. Why would Shalltear force Alucard-san into a Blood Rage? What would she have to gain from it?" Ainz asked, yet his question had no answer as those present did not have them

"Then, what will we do with Alucard-san?"

"We should keep him under observation till he returns to normal." Albedo replied

"I would be willing to be the one to monitor Alucard-sama, and put Ainz-sama up to date on the situation." she added

"Wouldn't it make more sense if that role was given to us? We are his Brides, we are better suited to monitor his condition." Talia retorted

"I agree with keeping him under observation. If I didn't have to go to the Empire, I would take on that role myself but now…" Ainz fell into silence, thinking of who he should chose

"Talia I agree with what you said, his Brides are indeed the people who know Alucard-san the best, outside of myself. I will give that job to you, Talia, you will report his condition to me every day."

"As you wish, Ainz-sama."

"I will also permit, visiting hours. It would be wrong of me to keep him locked up without the chance to interact with others."

"I will inform the others about this." Albedo said

"Alright. You are all dismissed."


	39. Making a Deal

Alucard began to wake up as the sound of an argument filled the room, his body felt like it had taken a massive beating, he tried moving it but found his movements to be restricted. Since his head was still slumped down, he saw that he was in fact sitting on a rock bench, his head turned to the side, what he saw caused his half-opened eyes grew wide. He was in chains, his arms were being bound by large rusty chains who connected to the wall, the same thing had happened to his legs, he then noticed that he was wearing a mask that only covered his mouth, and that he was only wearing his shorts.

Alucard's attention went to the room itself, it was made of stone not unlike a cell in the Frozen Prison, then finally went to the people arguing, it was Zesshi and Talia. The Bride kept her composed demeanor, while the half-elf was everything but calm, the moment he decided to try and get back to his feet, they stooped and turned their attention to him. Talia didn't move, but her expression suggested a mix of happiness and worry, while Zesshi, who obviously looked angry, marched up to Alucard and used her right hand to slap him across the face.

"You selfish bastard! Do you think you can do this to me!? Bring me to this place and then leave me to die!?" Zesshi roared

Acting quickly, Talia placed her in a Full Nelson preventing Zesshi from further attacking Alucard and dragging her to the other side of the room, before throwing her against the closed metal door.

"I already told you, that nothing will happen to you, or any other being brought here by Alucard-sama. Even with the given situation, you are still under the protection of Ainz-sama." Talia explained, with a tone that showed that this wasn't the first time she said these words

"How can you be so sure? He has no use for us…" Zesshi growled back, but Talia quickly spoke over her

"You are here because both Alucard-sama and Ainz-sama allow it. The fact Alucard-sama is currently out of action, doesn't mean you are no longer safe. As long as Ainz-sama wills it, nothing will change for you, or the others in a similar situation."

Zesshi starred down Talia, she was absolutely livid, how dare he, how dare Alucard do what he had done? Did he not understand that he was her, and the others, first line of defense against any one in Nazarick who might want to harm them? Yes, Ainz was there, but she knew perfectly that he had other, more important, things to worry about, and she wasn't convinced with the idea his mind couldn't be changed. Maybe in her case, since she was strong and had proven useful in the past everything would be fine, but the weaker ones that Alucard had been brought in, the idea of them being disposable wasn't out of the table in her mind.

"W-What happened?" Alucard asked, his voice dragged as if hadn't spoken in a long time

"Don't you remember what happened, Alucard-sama?" Talia asked, turning to face him

"No… What did I do?"

"Alucard-sama you went into a Blood Rage while at the Grave Vault of Adipocere with Shalltear-sama. In the following battle you injured me, Touka, Nyx, Shalltear-sama and Sebas-sama, Cocytus-sama was only lightly injured. You also killed two Vampire Brides and some Torturers, while being placed in this cell. There was also damage done to the 2nd floor, which has already been fixed, with the exception of the inside of the Grave Vault."

"I…I don't remember any of that…"

Alucard didn't know what to say, he didn't remember any of that, the last thing he remembered was picking up the glass that Shalltear's bride gave him, after that there was only the moment he woke up.

"Figures." Zesshi mumbled, getting his and Talia's attention

"If you have nothing of worth to say, you should leave." Talia said

"…" Zesshi was about to growl something back, but this time it was Alucard to interrupt her

"Do as Talia says, and leave. You are taking this too personally." he said, with the same weak voice

"I'm taking this personally!?" she hissed, stunned by his logic

"You are. I don't remember what I did, or why I did it, but unless someone suspects you were involved in it. Neither you, Clementine, Brain and Lottus, are in danger of anything happening to you."

"I'll hold you to that. I'm leaving." Zesshi spat back, looking at Talia

"Open the door, Zesshi Zetsumei is leaving. No one else is allowed to enter." Talia said, causing the door to open

* * *

Zesshi walked out and the door closed behind her, leaving only Talia and Alucard alone in the cell. Talia directed her eyes to her imprisoned master, his eyes looked tiered, his hair was disheveled, he smelled horribly, it was truly a painful sight, so much so her eyes began to water.

"Alucard-sama!" she cried out, rushing to his side and wrapping her arms around him

"I…I'm so sorry." Alucard said, feeling her tears fall on him

Talia said nothing, she didn't argue against what he said or in favor of it, she was silent letting out her pent-up emotions, for Alucard it only made things worse, the fact she said nothing to him only made him more furious with himself.

"For how long have I been out for?" Alucard asked, causing Talia to step away and clean her tears

"A few days. Ainz-sama has already gone to the Empire and arranged for an enemy force to be sent here to test our strength."

"I see… What about me? What did Ainz decide to do with me?"

"I am currently watching over you, and reporting your condition to Ainz-sama. Based on my observations, he will decide when to release Alucard-sama."

"That's only fair…" Alucard sighed, lowering his head in defeat

"B-But Alucard-sama, don't you remember anything? Anything at all? Perhaps something that would explain, what happened."

He only remembered picking up the glass to drink it, nothing after that, but that was all he needed, someone must have put something in his drink which lead him to act as he did.

"Someone tampered with my drink. There must be evidence of this at the Vault…" Alucard informed, but Talia solemnly spoke over him

"Everything that could be of use was destroyed in the fight."

Being overwhelmed by a sudden outburst of frustration, Alucard pulled at his chains if things continued on like this people would begin to think he attacked everyone on purpose. No, he was already at that point, just by seeing Zesshi it was enough for him to understand that some people placed all the blame on him, some might even fear him.

"What do you think, Talia? What do you think happened?"

"I do not believe, Alucard-sama attacked us out of his own accord. However, there are some who seem to believe otherwise."

"That is to be expected. What does Ainz think?"

"Ainz-sama has already dismissed the theory that Shalltear-sama might have been the one to drug you. But… I believe Ainz-sama might have dismissed the theory of you being drugged all together."

"If we go by that logic, the chances of him letting me out of here are slim. But if he did do that it was because he finds it too hard to believe that any NPC would willingly do something like this to any of us. Which leads me to the only suspect, Albedo."

"Yes, I have considered that possibility. But have not acted upon it, since I don't know how Alucard-sama wishes to proceed."

"For the time being, let's act like we usually do." Alucard said

"As you wish. I will now go and inform, Ainz-sama."

* * *

Taking a bow Talia turned to leave, the massive door opened and she walked through it, as soon as she walked out she came across Albedo who seemed to be waiting for her.

"Albedo-sama." she greeted

"Talia. I see that Alucard-sama has finally awoken, are you perhaps going to report this to Ainz-sama?" Albedo asked

"Yes, I am."

"Then, I'll leave you to it. Don't worry I will keep him company till you return."

"What do you mean, Albedo-sama? Ainz-sama said that any visitor would only enter if they were with me."

"Indeed. But I contacted Ainz-sama just a few moments ago, you see I was worried that given the fact you are one of his Brides your reports would be biased. Ainz-sama understood my concerns, and allowed me to visit Alucard-sama by myself and give my own report." Albedo informed, keeping her usual angel like smile

"I-I understand. I will be back shortly." with that Talia walked away

Albedo calmly walked into the cell, the door closed behind her, signaling that they were alone, truly alone, so no one would listen to their conversation.

"Alucard-sama." she greeted

"Albedo."

"I believe the word is…checkmate." she said, her smile turned into a twisted and maddening thing

"W-What…what did you just say?" Alucard asked, unbelieving of what she had just said

"I have to admit I was surprised when you managed to figure out it was me, even after being placed in such a state. But that doesn't matter now, as everything went according to plan."

"What plan? What did you gain from this? You risked the deaths of so many people, and for what? Nothing." Alucard growled back

"Not at all, Alucard. I wanted your movements restricted, and I have accomplished that. I did want to be the one reporting to Ainz-sama, but uncountably that role was given to Talia. But in the end, I did manage to convince Ainz-sama to give me the opportunity to also see what your condition was…" Alucard interrupted her

"But he only gave you this one opportunity, whatever you say won't affect me."

"Wrong. I lied when I told Talia that. I was given a second report to deliver, which will be for whenever she sees you fit to be released. Which means, I can keep you here for a long time."

"Even if that is true. Ainz just needs to see me himself to prove your reports wrong."

"Indeed. That is why I wish to avoid such a messy situation, to be honest things have already gotten messy but I guess it couldn't be helped. You were just too stubborn, if you only hadn't suggested the idea of leaving, and had let me destroy that information, things wouldn't be like this." Albedo pointed out

"You shouldn't have read the report in the first place!"

"Why shouldn't I!? I am Ainz-sama's other half, his beloved and as such I cannot let such bad influences be around him. People like you, and Shalltear, who want to take Ainz-sama away from Nazarick, from me! I will never allow that, as his diligent servant, his slave, his faithful dog, it is my role to make sure he is free from such vermin!" Albedo paused taking a small breath, her face now deformed into that of a beast

"Shalltear seems to have already learned her placed, perhaps I should thank you for that, however you still go against what is best for Nazarick, for me. Wouldn't you want to better reconsider your current stance? Think about it, there is no reason for us to be wasting our times, and resources on this." Albedo suggested, presenting a forced version of her usual angelic expression

"Do you hear yourself, Albedo? You are threatening a Supreme Being…" his words were brought to an end, by her laughter

"Supreme Being? Where is he? How are you, in any aspect, a Supreme Being? A being who has shown on several occasions a lack of control over his own vampire nature, who allowed himself to be placed under enemy control, who left Nazarick at one point to go on a "walk", has brought nothing but vermin into Ainz-sama's home, and has now gone on a Blood Rage injuring several of Nazarick's denizens… How is that a Supreme Being?" Albedo asked, her words filled with poison and disgust

"Someone like you, is no different than the lower life forms that infest this planet, you are only fit to serve nothing else. Lucky for you, you have already placed yourself at a similar footing as a Guardian, which means that you will only have to drop the idea of leaving, and whatever other misleading thoughts you have placed on Ainz-sama's mind. I hope you consider and accept this offer, it would be in Nazarick's, my, best interests, after all I don't wish to get rid of the other remaining "Supreme Being"."

She was insane, there was no doubt about that, however this was not the time to fight against it, if what she said was truth and given her triumphant display there was no reason for her to lie, she would have final say in him leaving this cell.

"What about…If I left?" Alucard suggested, causing Albedo to cook her head to the side

"You leave? By yourself?"

"N-No. I would be taking my Brides, and the people I brought to Nazarick."

"What would you do?"

"Ainz and I have discussed the invasion and occupation of Elf Country. I and the people that would come with me, would take it over."

"What if Ainz-sama, wishes to take over that territory?"

"We would govern the land as his representatives. I have no reason to oppose him."

"I am thankful for your cooperation, Alucard." Albedo said, her beautiful smile returning to her

"Of course, I would have to leave after we dealt with the incoming intruders. It would be wrong of me to leave just as we are faced by an incoming threat." Alucard informed, causing Albedo's face to twitch a little

"I see no harm in that." she said, just as the door began to open once more

"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Alucard-sama." Albedo said, making it sound as if they were having a normal conversation

* * *

On the other side of the door were his Brides, Albedo walked pass them, they greeted her and she greeted them back, they entered the cell and the door closed once again.

"Alucard-sama!" Nyx cheered, running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck

"Nyx, Talia, Touka, we have to talk."


	40. An Inconvenient Truth

Alucard opened his eyes as the doors to his cell opened once more, signaling the arrival of another visitor, he was stunned to find a small group standing outside, it was composed of Talia, Touka, Nyx, Zesshi, Clementine, Brain and Lottus.

"We have come to visit you, Alucard-sama~" Clementine announced, as they all entered the cell

"Close the door." Talia ordered

"Why did all of you come to see me? I mean, that's a lot of people for just one visit." Alucard pointed out

"There is still one missing. He will arrive shortly." Talia informed

Who was she talking about, and how was he supposed to enter if she had ordered the door to be closed, was she waiting for that person to arrive and announce his presence just for her to re-open it. Shortly after a [Gate] opened in the middle of the cell, causing the group to move to Alucard's right in order to open the way for whoever was coming through, that person was nonother than Ainz, in his Momon disguise.

"Ainz!? Why are you here?" Alucard asked, his eyes darting towards Talia

"I have told them everything, Alucard-sama." she announced, drawing stunned looks from both Nyx and Touka

"T-That's not right…" Touka said

"Y-you weren't supposed to do that Onee-chan…" Nyx mumbled

"I did not give you permis…" Alucard tried to say, but she spoke over him

"I apologize, for actively going against your wishes, Alucard-sama, but I cannot allow one a Supreme Being, my master, my creator, to lower himself before will of someone who is inferior to him." Talia spat back

"Talia that is not…" Alucard tried to speak again, but this time Ainz interrupted him

"I agree with Talia. There is no reason for you to leave over something like this. What Albedo is doing… it's my fault, you don't need to deal with this alone."

"I'm not alone. I've been taking care of this with my Brides and Clementine." Alucard pointed out

"Even so. There was no reason for you to hide this for me! If you had told me none of this would have happened."

"But I couldn't tell you, because I knew that you would blame yourself for what she did!" Alucard growled back

"Because I was the one to that changed her. If that hadn't happened, I would have prevented this situation."

"There is no reason for us to talk about this. What's done is done, and I don't plan on changing my mind about leaving."

"Why not, Alucard-san? We can deal with Albedo, there is no reason for you to leave."

"How do you plan to deal with Albedo?" Alucard asked

"Will you kill her? Will you imprison her? Will you perhaps alter her memories to see if she forgets about this? I won't work."

"Why not?" Ainz asked

"Because, I fear she sees everyone that can possibly influence you as a treat. I mean fellow NCPs, I don't think she sees them in that way, but that isn't the case with others. That is why I'm stepping away, until we take over Elf Country that is."

"Then, you expect me to continue on normally, even after what you told me? To speak with her like I know nothing, and in no way, try to find any of our friends?" Ainz spat back

"Yes. Because let's be honest, taking into account how we ended up here, I doubt we will see any of them ever again." Alucard sighed

"You don't know that. They…" Ainz tried to argue against what his friend said, but the vampire was more than ready to correct him

"Were any of them there?" Alucard hissed, locking eyes with Ainz

"Outside of me, was there anyone else, before it happened?"

"But you were hiding your presence..." once more Alucard spoke over him

"You know I am the only one who would do that, at a time like that. If any of them were there, you would know. After all I was the only one still there and outside of Nazarick at the time." Alucard sighed, before continuing

"Keep Albedo around, the role she plays is an important one, and if I'm not wrong you don't have any other options to take on her role. They are either too busy, or don't have the necessary skills. She may be insane and obsessed, but those types of people do have their usages."

"Is that why you keep Clementine around?" Ainz chuckled, looking at the blonde

"I'm obsessed?" she asked, looking around to see if anyone would say anything

"Yes, that is why I keep her around. And no, you aren't obsessed, at least not to that degree." Alucard replied

"Even so, Alucard-san, I just can't let you go and leave her unpunished." Ainz pointed out

"You can and you will, at least till everything settles. We both know great things are coming, it would be a major blow for us to lose Albedo at this point, unless you are hiding someone who can deal with all the paperwork. But, you will be fine without me." Alucard said

"What do you mean, I need you, Nazarick needs you." Ainz said

"Nazarick will be fine, and so will you. Let's be honest, I really haven't done that much since I arrived, at least compared to you I haven't. Well I did take out the Theocracy's strongest warrior." the True Vampire laughed, looking at Zesshi

"Idiot." Zesshi growled back

"Alucard-san, is this what you want?" Ainz asked, seemingly having accepted his friends plan

"It is. And it will help us get more work done."

"I see you have decided. So be it. This conversation never happened, Talia hasn't told me anything, and I know nothing about what Albedo has been doing. Talia, when you get out of here report to me that Alucard-san if fit to be freed, I will then contact Albedo for her to come in and make her own report. Alucard-san, will she approve of your release?"

"I've already told her I would leave, and in the future, serve as your extension in Elf Country, so yes she will."

"I hope you are correct. After you are done with the Elf Country, when will you return?"

"I won't. If you want to see me you will have to go there, or send a representative."

"I see. I'll take my leave then." with that Ainz vanished through the portal

"What about the rest of you, are you on board with the plan of leaving Nazarick, and go after the Elf King?" Alucard asked, looking at the people in front of him

"I will always follow you, Alucard-sama." Talia said

"Sounds like fun." Touka replied

"I want to stay with Alucard-sama." Nyx said

"I guess I don't have a choice, since I seem to be an important piece of that plan." Zesshi remarked

"It's been some time since I've had any fun with elves." Clementine chuckled

"I do owe Alucard-sama, my new-found strength. It is the least I can do." Brain replied

"It is as Brain says, I am grateful that Alucard-sama brought me here. It is the least I can do to repay him." Lottus said

"I appreciate the sentiment. Now make sure not tell anyone a word about this." Alucard said

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." they replied, with a bow

* * *

Suddenly someone began to violently knock at the door, immediately ruining the moment, over the loud sound and even louder voice came, a voice that belonged to Shalltear.

"Let me in!"

"Shalltear-sama, you have to wait till it is your turn." Talia informed

"I don't care! I have yet gotten the chance to visit, Alucard-sama." Shalltear roared

"Perhaps you should let her in. And go give Ainz that report." Alucard suggested

"Open the door."

Talia and the rest of her group walked out, however when Shalltear tried to go inside the cell Talia placed herself in front of the Guardian blocking her path.

"Remember that visitors can only enter with me present." Talia pointed out

"So? Aren't you going to stay here?"

"No. I have a report to deliver."

Shalltear gritted her teeth, why did she have to deal with this bloated ego weakling, just because Ainz-sama gave her a little of authority she thinks she can talk to her like that? Doesn't she understand how much Shalltear needed to speak with him, after all that happened, she needed to see him, and she had been waiting for too long.

"P…P-Please? Just till you come back."

"Till I return."

"T-Thank you…" Shalltear said, trying to make the most pleasant expression as she could

Talia stepped to the left allowing the Guardian to walk pass her and enter the chamber, the door closed and the female vampire made her to the middle of the room, where she stopped and bowed deeply.

"My greatest apologies, Alucard-sama! I'm sure this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't invited you to the Vault."

"Shalltear come here." Alucard said, motioning her to approach

"Y-Yes."

Straightening her posture, she began to approach the Supreme Being, at first she stopped at what would an appropriate distance but he continued to motion for her to approach, following his instructions she stopped when she was at less than arms reach from him. She saw the bound Alucard awkwardly move his arms over her head, and place his right hand on her had beginning to pat it.

"You're being too hard on yourself, Shalltear."

"But…" Shalltear mumbled, but Alucard calmly spoke over her

"I don't want any buts or excuses. This isn't your fault, and you can't say that nothing would have happened if you hadn't invited me."

Shalltear couldn't help but feel tears begin to roll down her cheeks, Alucard-sama was so kind, so comprehensive, so nice, she could only wonder what she, with her failures and shortcomings, had done to deserve such compassion from someone like Alucard-sama.

"But I have to admit, it was a bold move for you to ask me out for a drink." Alucard laughed, cleaning her tears

"N-No, that was not my intention. I-I simply wanted to talk…" Shalltear said, visibly flustered

"A-And… it wasn't my move…" she added

"What do you mean?" Alucard asked, with a curious expression

"I-It was Albedo's idea. You could say I was feeling "down", and she asked me what was wrong. I explained, and she suggested that perhaps I could try to get Alucard-sama to go with me to some place private, and we could have a drink. You know, do something relaxing… Not bad advice from an old lady…"

"Indeed, not bad advice. Also, I think I should also apologize for my actions, I don't remember what happened, but I was told I damaged your house, killed two of your brides, and injured you. For that I am truly sorry."

"No! Alucard-sama, doesn't have to apologize, I know you weren't yourself at the time. And you tried to save me…"

"I tried to save you?" Alucard asked, his interest peaked by her words

"Yes. When Alucard-sama started to go into a Blood Rage, you threw me out of the Vault telling me to run, but I didn't listen."

"I guess, at the time you were too worried to do that." Alucard said, with a warm smile

* * *

The door to the cell opened, without warning catching the two vampires by surprise, Shalltear quickly turned around ready to growl something at Talia, who she assumed to be that one that opened it, but was surprised to see Albedo.

"Why are you here, alone, Shalltear?"

"I could ask you the same thing! Who are you to open that door without Talia's authorization!?" Shalltear hissed back, to which Albedo chuckled politely

"Ainz-sama has given me the authorization to do so. Now I will ask you to leave, I have to speak with Alucard-sama alone."

"If you insist. Alucard-sama." taking one final bow, Shalltear left and the door closed

"I was informed that Talia has given her report saying you are fit to be released, and now he wants my report on the matter. That is why I'm here." Albedo announced

"Well then, you want me out of here, I want to get out of here. What do I have to do to convince you to approve my release?" Alucard asked, in a composed fashion

"Not much. As long as you keep your word, and leave like you said you would."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll be gone, just like we talked about."

"I'm glad you decided to make things easier, for all of those involved. Then, I see no problems with your release, I'll go and give my report right now."

Just like that Albedo left, and Alucard kept himself relatively calm, in his mind this was the easiest way to make things easier for Ainz and Nazarick. Indeed, Ainz would have to do his best so she wouldn't pick up the fact he knew who she truly was, but that was overshadowed by the fact she would keep doing her work without any distractions. What would happen to Albedo in the future, would be up to Ainz, he could decide to keep her around, or get rid of her when the time was right. Alucard now only thought of how he should go around conquering Elf Country, the base plan was the same kill the King and have Zesshi take his place, of course there were other variables but those would be dealt with at another time. What he did need was a good information source, a source he had already thought about, Hilma Cygnaeus should be able to give him what he wanted, even if it wasn't in her area of "expertise" he was sure a woman like her, knew more than she had need to.

* * *

The sound of the door opening once more caught his attention, looking up to see who entered he saw a group of six Torturers, Neuronist and Talia. Neuronist instructed her subordinates to remove his restraints, while Talia watched on, the chains fell on the ground with a thunderous sound. Alucard rose from his seat, hiding the unconfutable feeling he had from getting up after spending so much time seating down, he massaged his wrists as he walked towards Neuronist and Talia.

"It's good to see you out of your restraints, Alucard-sama." Neuronist pointed out

"So, you say, but something tells me you actually didn't mind the sight." Alucard retorted, stretching his numb limbs

"P-Perhaps…" Neuronist mumbled, with an innocent sounding giggle

"Talia, have to prepared the armor I told you about?"

"Yes, Alucard-sama."

"Good. Then call everyone to my room, we have things to do and little time to do it."


	41. Fire that Burns Unseen

Zesshi, Clementine, Brain and Lottus stood in Alucard's training chamber, they stood before the vampire himself, who had his Brides to his right.

"First I would like to thank all of you to agree with leaving Nazarick with me."

"There is no need for such words, Alucard-sama. We are your subordinates, we will follow you anywhere." Talia said

"Speak for yourself." Zesshi growled back

"If any of you want to stay, you are free to do so. I understand if you feel safer in Nazarick." Alucard pointed out

"Ignore her, Alucard-sama~ She's just playing hard to get~" Clementine chuckled

"That she is…" Brain whispered to himself

"Alucard-sama, says we had little time to discuss this, you are all wasting his time." Lottus pointed out

"You're no fun~" Clementine pouted

"Let's move on. Now, Clementine, Brain, how much have you grown during this time in Nazarick? Certainly, you have grown stronger." Alucard asked, looking at the two humans

"I have, Alucard-sama. Thanks to Sebas-sama, I have grown considerably." Brain replied

"Well, I worked alone but I've gotten stronger~" Clementine replied

"Who's the strongest?"

"That would be…" Brain began to say, but Clementine eagerly spoke over him

"Me~!" she announced cheerfully

"Y-Yes. Even now, she still has the advantage." Brain sighed

"Perhaps we could demonstrate it~" Clementine suggested, looking at Brain

"No need, at least for the time being. Now, Lottus tell me what you have achieved during your time here."

"I can, now, freely use 6th Tier magic. B-But if you wish I can go beyond that." Lottus replied, sounding somewhat fearful with his last phrase

His words surprised Clementine, Brain and Zesshi, since in their world someone going beyond 6th Tier magic was the thing of legends, or not something a mere mortal could see in their life time.

"What do you mean?" the Supreme Being asked

"I have learned Sacrificial Limit Breaking…" the Lich began to reply, but Alucard raised his hand to stop him

"How? No one in Nazarick would teach that to you, not even Ainz."

"I've spent much time in the library, I read the books on the subject and learn how to use it." Lottus informed, in the same tone as before

"You fool!"

"I apologize if I have gone against your wishes. B-But I thought it would make me more useful for Nazarick, a-at this point I no longer need my brother's bodies. What I could do before with them, I can now do alone!" Lottus explained, taking several apologetic bows

"If I may ask, what is this Sacrificial Limit Breaking?" Brain asked

"The concept is rather simple. For example, Lottus is limited to spells up to, and including, 6th Tier magic, which means that he has reached his limits. However, through Sacrificial Limit Breaking, he is able to go beyond those limits, however he will do so in the fool's way. Sacrificing his own life force to be able to surpass his limits, in the worst-case scenario he will be left a near death husk. Of course, that life force will return with time, but in battle it is an extremely risky and desperate thing to use."

"I am aware of that, Alucard-sama. I will only use it when there is no other way out." Lottus said

"I'll have to trust your judgment on this one, Lottus." Alucard remarked

"I am grateful, Alucard-sama. I will make sure you don't regret placing your trust on me."

"Now moving on to Zesshi. Talia, Touka can you bring me the armor?" Alucard asked, moving his head to look at his Brides

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." taking a bow, they exited the chamber

"I have prepared a new set of armor for you to wear, elf." Alucard announced

"Why? I mean, why just me?" Zesshi asked

"Because you are the only one who lost her equipment before being brought here."

Shortly after Talia and Touka brought in her new equipment, much to Zesshi's surprise the upper half of the armor was very similar to her Mirror Armor. Upon Alucard's instructions the Brides placed the armor and a necklace with a bird's wing on it, the vampire motioned her to approach him which she did.

"This will be your new equipment. Only to be used when you really need to, which means you will keep your current equipment when we leave. Just in case someone hasn't fully understood it, the fact is that we will leave Nazarick and won't have access to its resources for a long time, so when we do leave make sure you take everything you need."

"I will need my weapon back." Zesshi pointed out

"You shall have it. Now you must have noticed that the upper half of the armor is similar to your Mirror Armor, correct?" Zesshi simply nodded her head in reply

"Now, from where we came from the concept of Mirror Armor was not alien to us, but the one you see here is a derivative from that concept. While your armor reflected the damage, this one absorbs it." Alucard paused, showing Zesshi the small display screen on the right lower arm of the armor

"Absorbed damage will be converted to mana, the amount of mana you currently have will be displayed on this screen here. If, this thing still works as well as it did before, you should be able to reach 10th Tier magic, however I wouldn't ask you to test that one out."

"Does that one also has a limit on the damage it can take?"

"Indeed it has, that's why I say you should test taking too much damage in a row."

"What about the rest?" Zesshi asked

"Lower half of the armor, will augment your speed and leg strength. Speaking of which, the upper half will also slightly augment your upper body strength. And the necklace will give you the ability to fly." Alucard replied

"So, basically like my previous equipment?" Zesshi asked, sounding underwhelmed

"What's with that tone? I can simply give you nothing, and let you fight with only what you have now? Perhaps you would prefer that, elf?" Alucard growled back

"N-No. I am very thankful, for your generosity." the half-elf said, with a small bow

"Don't think anything of it. Now when it comes to going to Elf Country, Zesshi would you be familiar with a way there?"

"I am. But it goes through the territory already controlled by the Theocracy."

"I see…"

"There has to be another way there." Brain remarked

"I've been thinking of asking our friends in Eight Fingers for information on such a thing. I'm sure they will have what we want." Alucard informed

"But don't they mainly act with in the Kingdom~?" Clementine asked

"As usual your ignorance blinds you, Clementine." Lottus pointed out

"Why's that~?"

"I am well aware that before the war business with Elf Country was extremely lucrative. Even if it has significantly decreased, it is still done from time to time, and I'm sure that Eight Fingers wouldn't waste such an opportunity." he explained

"May I speak?" Talia asked, approaching Alucard

"Go ahead."

"I was just now informed that the intruders will arrive in a few hours." she informed

"Have we received any instructions on what to do?"

"Yes. We are to guard the chamber normally used for training sessions."

"I see. Everyone is dismissed, go and prepare yourselves. You will be informed of when to return here."

"What about my weapon?" Zesshi asked

"It's currently in my possession. I will give it to you when I tell you to return."

"As you wish." Zesshi said, leaving along with the others

"What now, Alucard-sama?" Touka asked

"Let's get things ready. Talia, you will deal with rations for the trip. Touka, items related to communication will be your responsibility. Nyx, you will be responsible for healing items and materials you may need for your own healing power. For weapons, put aside the weapons you consider to be the best for you to use, and make sure you take more than one weapon, just in case. I'll prepare the step up changing items."

"It shall be done, Alucard-sama." his Brides said, turning around to leave

* * *

"Talia, I have something that I want to ask you." Alucard announced

"Yes, Alucard-sama?" she asked

"Why did you tell, Ainz and the others, something I had specifically told you not to tell anyone?"

Alucard looked straight into Talia's eyes, the Bride blinked and shifted her gaze to look at the floor, perhaps she was doing this out of shame for her actions, or fear of what he might do to her, Alucard was unsure.

"I-I merely wanted to do what was best for Alucard-sama. I was simply fulfilling my duty as your Bride to…" she stopped when, Alucard raised his hand in order to silence her

"You are mistaken. If you were indeed fulfilling your duty as my Bride, you would have kept quiet and followed my orders. Then, why did you do it? From Touka's and Nyx's reactions I'm certain they wouldn't have done a similar thing, even if they wanted to."

Talia lowered her head, in what Alucard saw has a way to purposefully hide her face from him, was this question something so difficult, something so personal, that she had to react like this?

"I-I was just fulfilling my d-duty." she said

"Don't take this as an insult, or me showing displeasure, but I didn't make you like this. The times you have acted unlike all the others, the times you have said something to me when you feared my reaction, but even in the face of that treat you said it. Why? What has happened to you, that makes you so different from Touka and Nyx?"

Talia finally looked up at him, she seemed to be holding back tears however Alucard wasn't able to tell if they were tears of happiness or sadness.

"I… M-My feelings for Alucard-sama a-are…unique, m-my devotion for Alucard-sama is…unique…" she sobbed

"U-Unique… how is your devotion any different from the others?" Alucard asked, even if deep inside he started to understand what was happening

Talia slowly lifted her hands, she began to move them towards Alucard, from what he could tell she seemed to want to place them on his chest. Even if he wanted to stop her, Alucard felt his body freeze, he moved slightly and that was enough to make Talia flinch, but not enough to stop her all together. Placing her hand on his chest, she let out a sigh, and tears began to freely drop from her face, her lips managed to curl into a smile as she spoke.

"H-How unbecoming of me, to do something like this without, Alucard-sama's permission. But I guess it is only fitting, as it matches the unbecomingness of my feelings. I…I…I love Alucard-sama." Talia paused, letting her arms fall to her side

"When we came to this world we were separated from Alucard-sama for so long… There were times in the past that Alucard-sama was gone, b-but I knew he would eventually come back. But when we came to this world, I was so unsure, so afraid… When I saw Alucard-sama, in that cave I knew, I knew that there was nothing else in my life, no one else in my life, no other reason for me to exist than to serve you, then to… love you, respectfully, unconditionally… even if it killed me…"

Alucard felt as if he was hit by a devastating blow, he was at a complete loss for words, he wasn't even sure if he had understood everything Talia said, there was so much, too much information for him to process. After everything that had happened, he wasn't expecting a confession of love, especially not one from his Brides, not one so sincere and emotional. She did all of this, every time she said something that could mean punishment, when she dared to speak over him, sometimes even raise her voice to him, and the times she contradicted certain things he said, it was out of love. The only question that came to his mind was, what had he done to deserve such unconditional love, he was, as much as it pained him to agree with Albedo, he was imperfect and far from being a "Supreme Being", he had on several occasions acted selfishly. Not to mention the times he had, for one reason or another, lost control and in the process attacked her, hurt her, and tried to kill her.

"Talia…" Alucard tried to say, but she spoke over him

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. I have bothered you with such things, it is only unbecoming of me. My greatest apologies." Talia said, taking several bows, she acted as if she had only now understood what she had said

"No, there is no need for you to apologize." Alucard argued, placing his hands on her shoulders

"B-But I am bothering Alucard-sama with my feelings. A Supreme Being, shouldn't bother himself with such meaningless things."

"Don't say that. Your feelings aren't meaningless. But, I am unwor…" Alucard tried to say, but was interrupted when Talia placed her right index finger on his lips

"Alucard-sama, do not say such things, please."

"M-My apologies. I…" he tried to speak once more, but again she didn't allow him to do so

"Perhaps I should go fulfill the order's Alucard-sama has given me, after all we are short on time." Talia suggested

Alucard looked at her, did she know what he was about to say, and in the face of his soon to be words decided to silence him and escape the pain of hearing them.

"Yes, we should get going."

Talia cleaned most of her tears, took a bow and turned to leave, as she walked away Alucard couldn't stop thinking about the why, why did she show such feelings for him, why was she the one to act like this when he treated his Brides equally, for the most part.

"Talia, I just have to ask you one more thing." Alucard spoke out, causing her to turn around and wait for his question

"Why?"

"I apologize, Alucard-sama. But I am unable to properly word an accurate answer."

"I see. You are free to do." taking another bow, she left

* * *

When the time came Alucard called the others back to his room, by then the situation had returned to normal and they were ready to deal with the intruders. Handing Zesshi back her weapon, Alucard opened a [Gate], the group walked through it leading to a large open chamber, now the only thing they could do was wait for their prey to arrive.


	42. Raging Fire

The wait for someone to appear was a long one, so Alucard decided to spend the time discussing a few other details of what they would do next. Everything was going fine till, Zesshi was surprised by something he said.

"What do you mean I will be leading the team?"

"I think I've told you this before, since you are the one that is going to take the King's place you have to act as if you are the one leading us. That we are there to help you get what is yours by right. Which will imply that you will be the one acting as our leader, of course I will be by your side the whole time, so if you need help I will give it to you. But it is important that our enemies, believe that you are the one in charge. After all, a Queen shouldn't be second to anyone." Alucard explained

"Except, her king~" Clementine chuckled

"Like I have any use for a king." Zesshi growled back

"Who knows, in the future you may need one, even if it is just to keep up appearances." Alucard mused

"But don't worry, when the time comes I'm sure you'll find someone believable for the part." he added

Zesshi rolled her eyes at the idea of choosing someone to stand as her king, as if she would let a weakling sit next to her, as an equal.

"Alucard-sama, I sense someone approaching." Talia informed

"Just in time, I was starting to get bored." Alucard said, looking at the only open entrance to the chamber

From the entrance emerged four individuals, one male and three women, the man seemed to be wearing good equipment, while the women were wearing the bare minimum. Not only that, but Alucard could clearly see their unnaturally slim figure, their short hairs, and above all that the stumps on their ears, those women were elves.

"There's 4 of them, does that mean I get a chance to play~?" Clementine asked

"You clearly are blind to what stands in front of you. Do you not sense the aura that surrounds Alucard-sama?" Lottus asked

"I do. But it doesn't hurt to ask."

"Your name, intruder?" Alucard asked

"I have no name to give a weakling." was all the man said, clearly his arrogance blinded his senses

"Erya Uzruth." Brain announced, stepping out of the small crowd, so he would be visible to the intruder

"You know him?" the Supreme Being asked

"Yes. We have meet in the past, at the time he was stronger than I was."

"You seem to be mistaken. I still am stronger than you." Erya pointed out

"You want to put that theory to the test?" Brain growled, ready to draw his Katana, just to be stopped by Alucard

"Intruder, are those elf slaves?" Alucard asked, motioning to the three women

"What, you like them? Too bad, they're my elf slaves." Erya spat back

"You dare speak to Alucard-sama in such a manner?" Talia hissed

"That's enough, Talia. Actually, I just wanted to make sure, after all elves are so…topical." the True Vampire chuckled

"Perhaps you would be interested in fighting my own elf? Well, my half-elf." Alucard asked, motioning for Zesshi to approach him

Erya eyed Zesshi, she was a looker, even more so than the other half-elf from Foresight, and she had heterochromia something he had never seen in any elf slave. She was definably a good catch, the idea that he would have the chance to break her in battle was more than enough to get his blood pumping. However, he was worried about the large man in the hood, the one that seemed to be called Alucard, could he be the ruler of this place he certainly seemed to have the authority necessary to fill that role.

"You want me to fight him?" Zesshi asked, looking at Alucard

"Yes. Unless you are unfazed by the way he is treating your people."

Zesshi looked at the slaves, honestly it was an uncomfortable sight, had it been in the past she wouldn't have cared, but after the time she spent in Nazarick her perception of things had changed. More than that, she didn't like the look on Erya's face, his intentions were so obvious that it made her sick, just by looking at him.

"I'll fight him." Zesshi announced, placing her war scythe over her shoulder

"Are you sure you want to fight me alone?" the intruder asked

"I could ask you the same thing, weakling." his opponent hissed back

"You're brave to throw away your only chance of victory."

Zesshi didn't reply, she continued to approach him, making no effort to attack, take a stance, or defend against possible attacks. She knew perfectly that he would attack alone, at least he looked like the type to do it, and the expression on the slave's faces told her they weren't eager to get in a fight with her, smart.

Erya charged at her, taking the initiative since Zesshi only seemed interested in approaching him, mid charge he swiftly moved to her left ready to cut her down. Zesshi stopped and swung her weapon towards him, Erya let out a laugh as he effortlessly jumped over the swing, just to be hit by the end of the scythe while in midair. The intruder was sent into the ground, his left arm wrapped around his gut where the scythe had hit, he felt immense pain, and his mouth tasted like blood. That was impossible, for someone to damage him so much with one attack, not wanting to believe his enemy could be that strong, Erya staggered back to his feet.

"You! What are you idiots just standing around for! Use your magic! Heal me! I said heal me! Quickly, you stupid slaves! Do it now!"

Before even the elves could consider helping him, Zesshi closed the distance between them, bringing her blade down on Erya, with one move she had just sliced right through him.

"Could have killed him on the first attack, but that works too." Alucard pointed out

"My apologies." Zesshi remarked, looking at the slaves

"What will we do with them?" she asked

"We'll take them back with us. What happens after that is no longer in our hands, but I'm sure they will be taken care off."

"Talia, Zesshi take them somewhere where they will be safe." Alucard ordered

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." Talia said, opening a [Gate]

The reason Alucard had ordered Zesshi to do this became obvious, the three elves had their eyes transfixed on her, and when she motioned them to follow they followed, at a slow pace but did so non-the less. The group remained in the chamber for a while longer, till they received the information that no other enemy was going to pass through that area, after that Alucard opened a [Gate] sending them to the 6th Floor, since he knew Ainz would be there.

Arriving at Green Hole, Alucard looked in the direction of the Amphitheatrum where Ainz was dealing with what remained of the intruders.

"Zesshi, Clementine, Brain, Lottus, you are dismissed. Just know we will be leaving tomorrow morning, so you better get some rest." they left, except for Zesshi

"After you're done with this…Can you come to my room? There is something I want to talk to you about." she asked, in a somewhat shy manner

"I'll be there when I can."

* * *

After disposing of the intruders, Ainz and Albedo were in the Throne Room discussing the success of the operation, and from that conversation came the following question from Albedo.

"It is about the things that were mentioned previously by those foolish ones, regarding the search for the Supreme Beings, what level of priority should we assign it?"

Ainz thought about this, he remembered what Alucard had said that most likely they were the only ones of their guild to be transported here, since they were the only ones online. He also thought of what Alucard said about Albedo, most likely seeing them as unwanted interference, that being said she could act towards any of them the same way she did with Alucard.

"None." Ainz replied, visibly surprising Albedo

"Excuse me, Ainz-sama, but I believe you…" her words were cut short by Ainz

"It doesn't matter now. If any information regarding any of them is found, we'll take it. But we won't actively search for it, we won't waste any time, or resources on the task. For the time being, we have other things to worry about."

"As you wish, Ainz-sama." the Overseer said, with a deep bow

Albedo couldn't help but let her lips curl into a large grin, it seemed like her efforts had paid off by showing Ainz-sama the true nature of Alucard, he had seen that the only one's worthy of staying by his side were the beings of Nazarick, it was her. Albedo's thoughts came to an abrupt end, when the doors to the Throne Room opened and Alucard entered the chamber, the True Vampire marched towards them and stopped at the base of the steps.

"Ainz. I'm leaving." he announced

"What? Does this have something to do with the incident?" Ainz asked, in a cold manner

"In a way…" Alucard replied, but the Overlord was quick to speak

"Then you plan to put others at danger? After all we have no idea of what caused you to act as you did, it is possible you will be placing others in danger by leaving."

"I won't place anyone in danger! What happened was nothing but an anomaly, nothing that would happen under normal circumstances. If I wasn't sure about that, I wouldn't have allowed myself out of the cell."

"I see. Then, what will you do? Where will you go?"

"Elf Country, I only plan to distance myself from Nazarick, during that time I will conquer the Elf Country as we have talked about before. And when I do it, I want you to know I will hope to make it a part of Nazarick's territory, your territory."

"But, Alucard-san, such a feat cannot be done by only one man, even if that man is you. You will need people, resources, information."

"I have my Brides, Zesshi, Clementine, Brain and Lottus. I will take them, and supplies from the several things I have in my closet. But I do have to ask, if I am allowed to contact Eight Fingers?"

"You are. But if you are leaving us, I hope you understand you can't approach them as a member of Nazarick."

"I'm already taking that into consideration."

"Then, I can only wish you the best of lucks, Alucard-san."

"Likewise, Ainz." taking a bow, Alucard left

"I-Is it alright for Alucard-sama to leave? Won't be needed for…" Albedo asked, but Ainz lifted his hand to silence her

"Let him be."

"A-Are you upset with Alucard-sama?" Albedo asked, in a shy manner

"… No. But I understand that he will need time to process what he did. I'm sure we'll hear from him when he feels like it." Ainz replied, falling back into a deep silence

"B-But, it seemed as if Ainz-sama, didn't mind that Alucard-sama left…" her words were once more brought to an end, this time by Alucard smashing his fist into his armrest

"Enough, Albedo! There are other matters that we must discuss."

* * *

Alucard returned to his room, it had gone well, Ainz had acted as if he didn't really care about him leaving, which should make Albedo believe the separation between them. Placing Shi on top of the desk, he went to Zesshi's house at Green Hole, going inside he knocked at the door and entered when she gave him permission to do so.

Entering the room, he saw Zesshi looking at the mirror, apparently trying out a way to fashion her hair so her ears would be visible.

"Having hair trouble?" Alucard asked, closing the door behind him

"N-No. Nothing important…" Zesshi replied, getting up from her chair and facing him

"I just wanted to get my ears to be more visible, after all I think if I am to be Queen they should know I am one of their own." she explained, sounding a bit nervous

"I guess that makes sense. You said you wanted to talk, about what?"

"Well… There is something I want to get off my chest, before we leave." Zesshi replied

"I understand. I'm listening." Alucard said in a serious manner, removing his hood

Zesshi sighed internally, why was he so open to these things, she still found it weird for someone of his standing to be so opened to whatever his subordinates had to say.

"I said in the past, when I was still in the Theocracy, when I still undefeated, I said that if I were to every marry, to ever be with someone, it would be the man who was able to defeat me. It didn't matter, who, or what he was, I would be with that man…" she paused and looked at him

His expression was blank, even if she tried she couldn't read what he was thinking, Zesshi could only wonder why he was deciding to act like this right as she was telling him these things, her feelings, she was opening up to him and he simply looked.

"…After you defeated me, I continued to think those words were jokes, I wouldn't be with someone just because they were stronger than me. But that changed, with time, that changed, because for the first time in my life, I feel like someone understands me."

"Is that what you wanted to get off your chest? That you have feelings for me?" Alucard asked, and Zesshi felt the heat rise to her face

"No! I mean… It's confusing, I don't know how to think, the way you act, how you are I don't understand it!"

"What do you mean? I've always acted normally towards you." the vampire pointed out

"But that's not how a ruler normally behaves. Being so close, so f-friendly, with his subjects." Zesshi remarked

"But I'm not a ruler, and you are not my subject. I am your superior, and you are my subordinate."

"Then why are you the being with power only second to Ainz-sama? You are one of Nazarick's rules!" Zesshi spat back

"No, I'm not… Even if that is what everyone says, that is not who I am. I'm just a soldier, just like you." Alucard said, showing a few signs of regret when he finished speaking

"Like me?"

"Yes. Before we came here, to this world, when there were still 41 of us, I worked as a soldier. That's what I did, that's what I like to do. That's why I understand that you may feel apprehension when it comes to becoming a Queen, our situations are not that dissimilar."

"Is that why you don't seem that angry about leaving Nazarick? Because you are going back to what you did as a soldier?"

"Do not ask me that."

Once more Zesshi was stunned by his reaction, she could tell it was a touchy subject for him, but he didn't put an end to it by easily pulling rank, he simply asked for her to stop, with a tone that was more akin to pleading.

"Is this why you called me here?" Alucard asked, wanting to change the topic of the conversation

"No. I want to have my mind clear for when we leave Nazarick, for that to be possible I have to know where we stand. Whatever the answer, I have to know."

Zesshi kept her eyes on him and stood her ground, it was the best she could do given the situation. Whatever he said, be it yes or no, she could take it, she had to, Alucard was placing his fate on her, she could not fail now. If he indeed was a soldier driven into a position of ruler, like she was about to be, Zesshi would make sure to do it even better than he did. Alucard moved, he approached her, and Zesshi froze in place, she had no idea what to expect from him, and the fact he got closer to her did not make the situation better in her opinion.

"Are you asking, if I will have you as my mate?" Alucard asked, lowering his head towards her

"Why do you have to put it like that?"

"Yes, I will. That is if you will have me."

Zesshi was transfixed on his eyes, was he speaking the truth, had she heard him properly, had he really accepted her to be by his side. He was still waiting for her response, when Zesshi placed her hand around behind his neck and using her weight forced him to fall into the bed, before he could properly react she locked lips with him. It was her first kiss, and she was sure Alucard could tell, since he carefully pushed her away breaking the kiss, so she was now on top of him.

"I take it that is a yes…" Alucard remarked, stopping when he felt her hand traveling down his body

"A-Are you sure you want this? Aren't you moving a little too fast?" the vampire asked, grabbing on to her arm in order to stop her advances

Zesshi gulped, he had noticed, of course he would, it only made sense a vampire like him would be an expert in these matters. She was sure his Brides and others, even if they didn't admit it, had already been with him, they were so beautiful and he was a god in their eyes, how couldn't it have happened. Obviously, he would be more interested in those more experienced, those near his level, and not someone who had zero experience in the area.

"I-I am sorry, Alucard-sama…"

"Drop the "sama"." Alucard said, causing her to blush even further

"I'm sorry, Alucard, but I am still pure. Surely not what a vampire like you would be interested in."

Zesshi was ready for him to leave, it would be strange for him to do so given his personality, but she knew he was a complex being, so she wouldn't ignore the possibility Alucard would leave her because of this. His arms went around her and Zesshi was pulled back into him, once more their lips made contact, but this time it was completely different, there was life in it, passion.

"I'm not like that, Zesshi. If you aren't comfortable, I'll understand perfectly." he said, breaking up the kiss

"N-No. I want this, I need this. To properly clear my mind…" she said, in a shy tone lowering herself so she could whisper something into his ear

"I've waited too long as it is."

Alucard's eyes widened, he began to feel hot, he soon realized the heat wasn't his it came from her, he looked at Zesshi's reddened face, her breathing was fast and heavy, he felt something he hadn't felt in a while, his libido. The thing he had been keeping in control for so long, finally began to break free, with that Zesshi flinched slightly, her eyes looked down and then back at him, with that he understood what she was surprised about. Keeping his arms around her, Alucard sat up on the bed, so far nothing had happened, but he knew his body was reaching a dangerous place, and once it went there it wouldn't go back, until it was finished.

"Are you sure you want this?" Alucard growled

"Yes, Alucard. I want this, I want you."

Alucard placed her on the bed and got back up, as he watched her defenseless form, he could feel the glow in his eyes start to return, it was to be expected he was getting too worked up, to the point he was afraid of what he might do. Given the situation he knew that he would have to show absolute control over himself, he just hoped his vampire side would agree to that.

* * *

It had been two hours, perhaps more, since that moment, Alucard sat in bed with Zesshi to his right, their equipment was scattered all around the room, and the bed had collapsed. Their bodies were covered by the sheets, now stained with blood, Alucard looked at the woman who was currently a sleep by his side, her right arm and head resting on his upper body. It pained him to see, her covered in bruises, scratches and bite marks, it didn't pain him as much as it should since he too was covered in bruises, scratches and bite marks. To be honest it hadn't been what he expected, he was very surprised, with the way things turned out, to be honest he had enjoyed himself, greatly. He hadn't felt like this in ages, like he was truly free, and so light as if he had nothing to worry about in this world.

"Are you awake?" Zesshi asked, awakening from her own sleep

"I didn't sleep."

"Neither did the neighbors." she chuckled

"Well…There's no need to brag." Alucard laughed, scratching the back of his head

"Are you ok? I mean, I left you in a bad shape…" the vampire said, stopping when she placed her right index finger on his lips

"I'm feel great. I feel better than I have in some time." she informed, sitting back up

"I'm glad we feel the same then. Perhaps I should get back to my room, let you rest."

Even before she could reply, Alucard began to move out of the bed when Zesshi wrapped her arms around his right arm, and made him the most adorable and unbelievable thing he had ever seen, puppy eyes.

"Please stay."

"Alright. But you have to rest, and get those injuries treated."

"In the morning. We can wake up earlier than we are supposed to and take care of it."

"If you insist." Alucard sighed, covering himself with the sheets once more

Zesshi placed her hands on his cheeks and gave him a couple of quick and tentative kisses, followed by resting her head on his chest like before. When she had first told him that she wanted to talk to him in her room, part of her feared what would happen, but now she laughed at those thoughts, after all she felt better than she had ever felt in her entire life.


	43. Questionable Business

In the morning, Zesshi woke up to an empty bed, she slowly sat up and looked around, there was no sign of Alucard, not even his clothing, he was just gone. She sighed, should she had expected him to be there when she woke up, Zesshi was certain she should after the way he had acted towards her. Her body ached all over as she tried to get out of bed, taking time to actually look at her current state, it wouldn't be surprising if people believed she had been in a vicious fight, she guessed it would be expected when one was with a vampire.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention, turning her head to the side she saw Alucard, already fully dressed, entering the room with a healing potion at hand.

"How are you feeling?" Alucard asked, closing the door behind him

"Like I've taken a beating." Zesshi replied, turning to look at him

"This will help." the vampire said, handing her the potion

"Thank you, Alucard…"

"I have to return to my room and finish preparing, I'll see you then." with that Alucard left

* * *

Arriving back at his room, Alucard entered at a moment his Brides were all by the entrance, they greeted him, and then froze as if there was something they wanted to say but were too afraid to speak.

"A-Alucard-sama smells of Z-Zesshi." Nyx finally said, with an innocent tone

"That sneaky b…" Touka mumbled, but Alucard interrupted her

"Language."

"So, lucky." she continued

"I don't plan on keeping it a secret, especially from any of you. Yes, I spent the night with Zesshi." Alucard informed, his attention focusing on Talia

"If that's Alucard-sama's decision we will accept it." Talia said, in a calm tone

"B-But she's going to take Alucard-sama away from us." Nyx mumbled, with a somewhat sad expression

Alucard's expression turned sympathetic with a warm smile, he walked up to the young Bride and began to raise his arm, an action that made her flinch slightly, but whatever fears she might have, came to a swift end when he placed his hand on her head. Nyx looked up at him, Alucard proceeded to kneel before her, so their height would be closer, all the while patting her head.

"A-A Supreme Being shouldn't kneel." Nyx weakly pointed out

"That doesn't matter right now. Now, why do you think Zesshi's going to take me away from you?"

"Alucard-sama spent the whole night with Zesshi. Alucard-sama smells like Zesshi…" Nyx began to say, just for Talia to interrupt her

"Nyx, please do not bother Alucard-sama with such things. Your fears are unfounded." she said with a motherly tone

Alucard looked at Talia, her face was hard to read, she looked perfectly composed which he appreciated, but at the same time was confused by it given what she had told him, about her feelings.

"R-Really?" Nyx asked, looking at Alucard

"Of course. The relationship between me and Zesshi, won't affect the one I have with you, with all of you."

Nyx cheered, like a happy child, wrapping her arms around her creator's neck, who placed on arm under her and got back to his feet, resulting in Nyx seating on his arm.

"Is there anything left to do?" Alucard asked

"Nothing of great importance." Talia replied

"Then, I'll help with what's left." Alucard informed, stunning his Brides

"There's no need for you to waste your time on such things, Alucard-sama." Talia said

"Yes, we'll deal with it ourselves." Touka said

"I insist.

"A-Alucard-sama…" Nyx mumbled shyly

"Yes?"

"…C-Can I… go say goodbye to…Mare-sama?"

Alucard looked at her face, it was pained with an innocent blush, it was adorable. Still she did seem to have really taken a liking to Mare, for her to ask him for the opportunity to say goodbye, even when there were still things to be done.

"You can, but don't take too long." Alucard replied, placing her back on the ground

"I won't. Thank you, Alucard-sama." Nyx said, running out through the door

"Talia, Touka is there anyone you would like to say goodbye to?" he askes

"No, Alucard-sama." they replied

"Alucard-sama, I don't mean to offend…but wouldn't it be better if you took a shower?" Touka suggested, surprising the other two people in the room

Alucard had not noticed that he smelled that much of Zesshi, at least not to the point it would annoy others. No, he just hadn't thought about how much the smell of a woman his Brides could consider as a threat would affect them, certainly even if they accepted his relationship with her, rubbing it in their faces would be going too far.

"Touka, cease your ramblings." Talia hissed

"I understand. I'll leave you two to deal with the rest, I'll be back soon enough." Alucard said, before leaving

"There was no need for such behavior. To impose your selfishness upon Alucard-sama…" Talia growled, making her way back to the closet

"Why are you so calm!? Out of all of us, I would expect you to be the one most bothered by this." Touka remarked

"I am simply fulfilling my role as Alucard-sama's Bride. It is my duty to accept his decisions, if he wishes to be with her I will not go against it." Talia replied

"Is that so? What about her decisions?" the younger Bride asked

"Will be corrected if necessary."

* * *

Zesshi was the first to arrive at Alucard's room, since she woke up before the others, arriving at the chamber she saw no one there, but noted some sound coming from the closet, so she concluded someone should be there. She walked towards the opened door and looked inside, finding Touka and Talia, who had just finished putting on their armors.

"Look who also needs a shower." Touka growled

The half-elf looked curiously at Touka, and then fixed her air with the intention of smelling it, without giving her actions away. Smelling it, she didn't understand what the vampire was talking about, she didn't smell particularly bad, Zesshi's eyes widened as she understood what the problem was, she still had Alucard's odor on her.

"One thing is to have sex with Alucard-sama, the other is to rub it in our faces." the Bride continued

"That's not my intention!" Zesshi argued back

"Touka, you've said enough." Talia said, keeping her composed look

"B-But she's so lucky!"

"What do you mean!? Don't call me lucky just because I slept with him once, I bet you three have done that several times!" Zesshi said

The air suddenly became heavy, Zesshi couldn't help but gulp, the two Brides who had before looked relatively calm, now stood frozen their eyes fixed on her, directing different amounts of rage towards her. However, the biggest source of rage came from behind her, slowly turning to look at the source she found Nyx standing by the entrance, the look she was giving her didn't fit Nyx's childlike body.

"Your ignorance, sickens me." Nyx growled

"What…" Zesshi tried to ask, but Touka spoke over her

"He never touched us. Not even when we offered ourselves to us."

Zesshi's eyes grew wide, how could that be? They were beautiful, he was beautiful, and they were his absolute subordinates, how could he have not done anything to them? After being with him, she had experienced firsthand his energy, his lust, his almost uncontrollable ferocity, were they telling her that he had kept it under control for so long. How could she had understood that part of him so wrong, now it began to make some sense that they had both gotten out of it in such shape, he was releasing stress pent-up for who knows how long, and she didn't want to once more look weak in front of him, so she tried to keep up.

"Did you think, you were just another woman for him to have his way with?" Talia asked, slowly approaching her

"I-I wouldn't put it like that. B-But I didn't think I would have any meaning in that aspect." Zesshi replied

"What an ungrateful woman." Nyx growled

"Nyx, go put your armor on." Touka said, her eyes darting towards the younger Bride

"Ok." Nyx said, going deeper into the closet

"I'm going to go help her." Touka informed, also leaving

"It is not my place to question Alucard-sama's decisions. But I have to ask, what did you tell him? For Alucard-sama to accept you in the manner he did." Talia asked

"I… I-I just confessed my feelings to him. A-And Alucard reciprocated them, he accepted me as his m-mate." Zesshi replied

"Still you thought you were just another woman to him?"

"Y-No… I don't know… To be honest when I woke up and he wasn't there, I thought he had just walked away…" Talia immediately slapped her

"You are not worthy of his affection, of his love. Not when you even consider thinking such things about Alucard-sama, not when you are allowed to refer him by name alone."

Zesshi was ready to reply, when she noticed the tears beginning to fall from Talia's face, it was a silent cry to the point it was believable that Talia hadn't noticed it herself. She bit her lip, swallowed her pride which was rattled by the slap, and decided to admit her mistakes.

"I'm sorry, Talia-sama." Zesshi said, taking a bow

"I was an idiot to think Alucard was the type of man who would just use me and leave. If I had just put some thought into it, I would know that would be impossible."

Suddenly a massive black shape walked pass her, on reflex Zesshi took a step to the right letting the figure freely pass, looking at it she saw it was Alucard. The vampire walked straight pass her, and now carefully cleansed her tears.

"Don't cry Talia. It only dampers your beauty." Alucard chuckled

"My apologies, Alucard-sama. I'm showing my unbecoming side to you once more."

"There's no need for apologies." Alucard said, turning to look at Zesshi

"So, you thought I had left during the night?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her

"Y-Yes…" Zesshi replied, with a shame filled voice

Alucard placed his right hand under her chin and carefully lifted her head till their eyes met, he gave her a devilish smile and she suddenly blushed.

"I guess we'll have to work on that. Everyone, out of the closet!"

Not even giving time for Zesshi to process his words the True Vampire walked out, followed by his Brides and finally Zesshi. Standing by the door were already Clementine, Lottus, and a depressed looking Brain, the others joined them so they would all be standing before Alucard.

"What happened to him?" Touka asked, looking over at Brain

"N-Nothing." Brain sighed, fixing his posture as best as he could

"There's no need to lie, Brain~ You see Brain is a bit heartbroken, by what happened last night~" Clementine replied

"You had a thing for her?" Touka asked

"He did~"

"Be silent, Clementine." Lottus growled

"Fine~" the woman pouted, turning her attention towards Zesshi

"But I have to admit I was surprised~ You were so loud, Zesshi~! So lewd, I'm so jealous~" Clementine chuckled, causing the half-elf's face to turn bright red

"Unsightly, as always." Lottus mumbled

"That's enough for now. We will have time to talk later, but now we have to leave. Does everyone have everything they need with them?" Alucard asked

"Yes, Alucard-sama." they replied

"Also, for now drop the "sama"." his words were met with shock

"B-But we can't, I wouldn't be proper." Talia said, to which the other Brides and Lottus agreed

"I understand, but for the time being it is necessary."

"Understood, Alucard." the group replied

"Also, after we get the information from Hilma, drop that attitude. If you are going to show respect to anyone it will be Zesshi, since she will be acting as the leader."

"Now, Nyx open a [Gate] to our next location."

* * *

The portal sent them to the small dirt road that lead directly to Hilma's mansion, they began to walk towards it and soon guards came to meet them, at first, they looked hostile but as soon as they saw Alucard and his Brides they acted differently.

"Welcome, Alucard-sama." the guards greeted

"I wish to speak with Hilma, I am in need of her services." Alucard informed

"I apologize, but the mistress is still sleeping." one of the guards informed

"That's fine. I'll speak with her when she's ready." however what the guard said, next went completely against Alucard's words

"Go and warn the mistress, Alucard-sama is here to see her. Please, follow me. We will guide you to the inside of the mansion." the guard said

Alucard sighed and didn't argue with the man, his group were lead into a large luxurious room, with several places to sit at, a bar, and several women ready to serve them.

"Welcome. How may we be of service?" the women asked

"Make yourselves at home." Alucard told his subordinates, choosing to go walk by himself

"Alucard, would you rather relax a little?" Zesshi asked

"Already relaxed enough."

* * *

Alucard walked to the entrance and spent some time examining his environment, till from the stairway leading to the next floor, appeared Hilma, she was wearing similar clothing to the ones wore by the women from before, her makeup was heavy, and in her right hand rested a pipe emitting purple fumes.

"Alucard-sama. How may I be of service?" she asked, stopping at the middle of the stairway when Alucard began to walk towards her

"Drop the "sama". I am not here as a resident of Nazarick." Alucard replied, causing Hilma's pleasant expression to diminish

"Then what are you here as?"

"A soldier in need of your services."

Hilma took a long drag from her pipe, before placing her attention back on him, what a curious situation she had found herself in. Her eyes quickly examined every inch of his body, of course she had already seen him, but this was the first time she was in the mindset to properly do it.

"What services would those be?"

"Information regarding paths to the Elf Country. I'm sure an organization such as yours has that type of information." Alucard replied

"Is that all?"

"Horses, if you could spare them."

"And how do you, a simple soldier, plan to pay for this?" the woman asked, with a superior look on her face

"Surely something can be arranged. Be it jewels, money, even our services." Alucard pointed out

"While I do appreciate the thought of jewels and money, I am in no immediate need for them. Your services, can easily be performed be replaced by our people, and if they fail Nazarick is more than willing to help maintain Eight Fingers, but I'm sure you are already aware of that." Hilma remarked, taking another drag from her pipe

"But I do have a proposal of my own. Would you be open to hearing it?" she asked

"I would."

"Your body. You pay me with your body, and I will give you what you want. Impress me, and I'll throw in a guide, to take you the correct path." Hilma said, with a sickening smile in no way hiding her intentions

"What if I refuse?"

"Then I guess we are done here."

Alucard gritted his teeth, what a pain, he would try to think of something else to give her but she did seem to know exactly what she wanted, and he had nothing else to give her.

"I accept."

Hilma snapped her fingers and from the upper floor came two young women, wearing similar clothing to Hilma, they walked down the stairs to meet them.

"Prepare my room. And make sure I am not disturbed." Hilma ordered

"As you wish, mistress." they replied

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. I may have agreed to your terms, but I need to see that information before I pay." Alucard pointed out

"Smart man. Girls for the moment, only prepare my room, then come to my office. Alucard, follow me to my office."

Entering Hilma's luxurious looking office, Alucard looked around the several shelfs and drawers which were full of papers, however Hilma disappeared through another door, before reappearing with a large map in her hands.

"Is this what you wanted?" she asked, placing the opened map on top of her desk

Alucard looked at the paper, it showed a path from a certain point within the Kingdom to a location near Elf Country, from what he could tell most of the path was made through isolated roads, places that wouldn't be used by many people, which made them perfect for transporting illicit goods.

"I take it that guide will only take us to the beginning of the less used roads?"

"If you earn him, yes."

"What about the horses?" Alucard asked, looking at Hilma who had her pipe in her lips once more

"Midmorning. Lunchtime at worst." the woman replied

At that moment, the two women from before entered the office.

"We have prepared your room, mistress. And have informed the guests you would be busy for the moment." one of them said

"Is there anything else you need? Or can we move on to the payment?" Hilma asked

"Do you have any current information on the Elf Country? And their war with the Theocracy?"

Hilma let out a low muffled laugh, she went to one of the many drawers and took out some papers, proceeding to drop them in front of the map. Alucard picked up the papers and quickly looked through them, the thing that really got his attention was that the Theocracy seemed to be gaining some momentum after committing the Holocaust Scripture to the war.

"Anything else?" Hilma asked, after Alucard was done with the papers

"No."

"You go and get the necessary horses, also have a suitable guide on standby." Hilma ordered, looking at one of the women, before looking at the other

"You with me. Alucard please follow."

Hilma lead Alucard to her room, along the way no attempt at small talk was made, Alucard was too busy preparing himself mentally for what he was about to do, however he knew it couldn't be helped given Hilma's inflexibility. Arriving at the room, the woman opened the door and waited for Hilma and Alucard to enter, the duo entered and the door closed behind them, the woman remained there to make sure no one would bother them.

"Try to put on a pleasant expression, Alucard. I intend to enjoy this." Hilma said, letting her clothing fall on the floor revealing her naked body

"My apologies, but I find it hard to put on such a face in such a situation."

"Then I guess you don't want that guide." Hilma said, placing her pipe on an ashtray by her bed

Hilma still had her back to the vampire, she was in the process of removing her jewelry when she felt as if a massive gust of wind had hit her, followed by an arm going around her waist. Her head darted upwards to look at Alucard's face, but her attention was drawn back to her waste as he pulled her close to him, her naked body met his could armor causing heat to permeate trough her form. His free hand went to her hand that still had rings on and with a slightly forceful motion he removed them, placing them on the nightstand.

"Do not get too excited vampire. I'm sure Ainz-sama, wouldn't be pleased if you injured, in any way, one of Nazarick's sources of information." Hilma hissed, in an attempt to assert her dominance in the situation

"You misunderstand. I simply wish to show you how much I want that guide. Certainly, you understand, since we both have something to gain from this." Alucard purred, into her ear

"Words are cheap. Show me how much you want it."


	44. The Journey Begins

Brain sat by the bar, in front of him was his third glass, he was in the process of drowning his sorrow. The fact Alucard had taken Zesshi was an expected turn of events, but it in no way dampened the blow to his ego, so he was taking this time to "heal" that blow.

Picking up the glass Brain went for a drink when a gust of wind hit him from the right and the glass vanished from his hand, taking a moment to understand what had happened his head darted to his left, to see Touka standing not too far from him with the glass in her hand. The female vampire had a mischievous expression on her face as she looked at the liquid inside the glass, taking one sniff at it she snarled in disgust.

"How can you people drink this!? It's nasty." she remarked, looking back at Brain

"Very funny, Touka. Just give it back." Brain said, lazily getting up from his seat

Touka stretched her arm out, presenting him with the drink, Brain walked up to her and reached out to grab the glass, just for Touka to sidestep him, kicking his left leg right from under him, causing Brain to fall face first into the floor.

"How can you be so selfish? You're already slower than normal, you must really be a lightweight." the vampire pointed out, placing the glass back on the counter

Brain let out a low growl, he knew his actions would be perceived as selfish, but he felt the need to wash away the bruises to his ego with alcohol, which overridden how he felt about how others perceived him.

"That's rich. I'm a lightweight? Says the vampire who can't even be affected by alcohol." Brain spat back, getting back to his feet

"Funny. Get your act together, none of us will be getting any rest till the Elf Country is ours." Touka said

"I-I know that!"

"Then act like it! If you aren't fit to come with us, you should have said so. The last thing we need is dead weight." the vampire hissed back, walking pass Brain

As Touka walked away from Brain, she made her way towards Nyx, who was sitting on a sofa dangling her legs and had watched the whole scene.

"You're so mean, Onee-chan." the younger Bride said

"No, I'm not! I was just giving him some words of encouragement." Touka explained

"Onee-chan cares about Brain!" Nyx cheered, causing Touka to chop her over the head

"Ridiculous. I care about the team, and the last thing we is someone who's useless."

* * *

Zesshi passed back and forth, they had been told that Hilma and Alucard were busy so they should remain here and not disturb them, however she couldn't simply accept that after what seemed to be half an hour without hearing anything from him. Deciding she had had enough of waiting, Zesshi walked up to the entrance of the room, with the idea of going looking for Alucard, just for one of the servants to stop her.

"May I know where you're going?" the young female servant asked

"I'm going to see Alucard." Zesshi replied

"My apologies, but you can't. He's currently doing business with the mistress."

"…And I'm going to help, I take it that the reason it is taking so long is because of payment related reasons. I was told to help with the payment if things took too long." Zesshi said, coming up with the best excuse she could

The young servant looked at her for a moment and then motioned her to follow, from the distance Talia noticed this and decided to follow them. Just as they walked up the stairs they came across the woman who had been ordered to take care of the horses and guide, she looked at the younger servant not paying much attention to her, but her attention was earned by Zesshi and Talia.

"Where are they going? I believe you were instructed to keep them where they were." she asked, with an authority filled voice

"My apologies. But, she told that she was instructed to help with the payment if things took too long."

The woman looked at Zesshi, raising any eyebrow to her, she then looked at Talia who had yet to say a word.

"What about you?"

"The same. I too was given such instructions." Talia replied

"I see… Very well, I will take you there then." the woman informed, dismissing the younger servant with a wave

Zesshi and Talia followed the woman deeper into the mansion, soon they arrived at a corridor where another woman was standing in front of a door. During all that time Zesshi was wondering what was going on, she was certain something was off, she also noted a small change in Talia's expression.

"Is something wrong?" she asked

"We're here." their guide announced, before Talia could reply

"Why are they here?" the one guarding the door asked

"They said that they are here to help with the "payment"." causing the servant by the door to give the duo the same curious expression

"I am not sure the mistress is interested, in your "help"."

"What do you mean? We're here offering even more than Alucard, and you just plan to throw us away?" Zesshi remarked surprised

The two servants exchanged looks, visibly flustered by the situation as if they didn't know how to react and what they should do, till Talia decided to speak.

"What's going on beyond that door?" she asked, causing the two servants to direct their attentions back to her

"I mean, this is the bedroom correct?" Talia added

"The mistress and Alucard are in the middle of a business transaction, and wish not to be disturbed. That being said, I'm wonder if you understand what you would be adding to the payment." the woman by the door remarked

"So, that's how low your "mistress" is willing to go?" the Bride asked, her tone turning darker

"Not at all. But not much can be done, when one comes in search of services with nothing of worth to use as pay. You could say, Alucard was lucky that he had caught the mistresses eye."

"What!? You're telling me, that Alucard's using his b-body has payment!?" Zesshi gasped, causing Talia to sigh

"Weren't you listening to what was being said?"

"Either way it doesn't matter. Please go back, and wait." their guide said

"Hell no! I want to talk with Alucard…" Zesshi spat

Before Talia could say anything against it, the half-elf pushed pass the two servants and forced the door opening, letting the light flood the shuttered room, she opened her mouth ready to speak her mind, when someone spoke over her, much to her surprise it was Alucard.

"What are you doing!?" the vampire roared, shocking her

Zesshi looked at the bed, Alucard had used the sheets to cover his lower body, while Hilma had made no effort to hide herself, on the opposite she seemed to be proudly displaying her naked form as she laid on the bed.

"A-Alucard… I just…" Zesshi tried to explain, but he didn't want to hear it

"We'll talk about it later. Now leave. Both you and Talia."

"Our apologies." Talia said, grabbing on to Zesshi and pulling her away from the room

"Our apologies." the female servants said, closing the door

"That was… unpleasant." Hilma remarked, but Alucard didn't say anything back

"I take it that she's, young and unexperienced in the ways of the world?" she asked

"In a sense."

"Let's continue." Hilma said

* * *

Sometime later, after Zesshi and Talia had rejoined the rest of the group, Alucard walked down the stairs accompanied by the two female servants. When the group saw him, they rushed out of the room and joined him at the base of the stairs, just by looking at their faces Alucard could understand, that the rest of the group knew of what had happened.

"Where's Hilma~?" Clementine asked

"She was having some trouble getting back to her feet." Alucard replied

"So, who told everyone what happened? No need to hide it, I can tell everyone already knows about it."

"It was Zesshi. She wasn't able to regain her composure even after we came back here, so when Lottus asked what happened, she answered in such a fashion so everyone would know." Talia replied

"I see. I don't mind everyone knowing about it, but what you did back there was unnecessary." Alucard remarked, looking at Zesshi

"Unnecessary!? What about what you did, are you telling me there was nothing else you could do? Surely, we could have offered her something else." the half-elf argued back

"No, we couldn't. I tried to offer what I had, and even what I hadn't, the problem is that she either wasn't interested, or could get through Nazarick. And since we are cut off from them, our bargaining capabilities are extremely reduced, luckily, she had something she wanted, something we had. That's why I chose to do what I did."

"Still, wasn't it too drastic? I mean to do something like that, with a woman like her…" Lottus argued, but Alucard interrupted him

"A necessary sacrifice. We have a mission, and I'm making sure we see it through, by whatever means necessary. I hope all of you understand this, because what we started when we left Nazarick, when we left our home, will only come to an end when we overthrow the Elf King."

"I'll lead you to the horses, and guide." one of the female servants said

"Please do." Alucard said

The servant took the lead and guided the group back to the outside of the mansion, where they could see in the distance horses and a man, who they assumed was their guide. Zesshi was walking next to Alucard, from time to time she would look up at him to see if he would look back at her, however his attention was focused on the horses. She cursed herself, if she hadn't reacted like she did, if she had contained her sudden and strange outburst of emotions, slowly approaching the vampire she wrapped her left arm around his right.

"I-I'm sorry, for the way I acted." she mumbled

"Don't say that."

"But it's true. I almost threw everything away, b-because I couldn't control my emotions. The moment they talked about the payment and your body… I wasn't able to hold myself back."

"I'm also at fault, I should have thought of the possibility that any of you could come to look for me. It would have been better if I had contacted one of my Brides via [Message] and have them explain it to the rest of you."

"But that doesn't excuse my lack of self-control."

"Indeed, that could be a problem in the future, we were lucky this time around. Don't worry, we'll work on that and in the future, I'll take better precautions against such a situation. Still, I didn't take you for the jealous type, elf." Alucard laughed

"What!? I wasn't jealous…idiot." Zesshi growled back, letting go of his arm

"I do love that tsundere act of yours, but it still needs some work." the vampire remarked playfully

"Tsundere?" Zesshi asked, not understanding the meaning of the word

"I'll tell you later."

Arriving at near the horses, they finally came face to face with their guide, he had the look of a rugged veteran, tanned skin, messy black hair, strangely blue eyes, a light yet muscular built and wore light armor.

"Hello, my name is Four, I was takes with guiding you." he announced

Zesshi didn't say anything, she naturally waited for Alucard to make the introductions, but the vampire covertly hit her side, at first, she didn't understand why he did that, thinking about it she remembered that he had said she would be acting as the leader.

"I-I'm Zesshi Zetsumei. Till where will you be taking us?"

"You could say I'll be taking you halfway, don't worry I have a map to give you with the rest of the path." Four replied

"Good. Alright people, let's get moving." she said, and the others slowly did as she ordered

Having chosen her horse Zesshi was about to get on the animal's back when Alucard stopped her from doing so, followed by placing something on her hand.

"I forgot to give you this before. Make sure you don't break it needlessly, and keep it with you at all times."

"What does it do?"

"It will change that equipment for the other one I showed you. So, only use it when you're certain you'll need it." Alucard replied, to which Zesshi nodded back

Alucard walked away from her and to his horse, which was close to his Brides, who were already on their rides, getting up on the horse he materialized the communicator Abraham had given to him. Looking at the device that was now in his hand, Alucard sighed over the wasted potential, had things been different the item could have been useful but now he couldn't have it with him. There would be the risk Abraham would contact him, if the item was destroyed there would be no reason to worry about such a thing, what Abraham might think of when he failed to contact him, was a concern for another time. Having decided what to do, Alucard crushed the item, till it was nothing but dust flying away in the wind.

"Let's get moving." Franz said, with that they left Hilma's mansion

* * *

Ainz sat behind his desk, he was alone since Albedo had other things to do and had made it a point to inform that he didn't wish to be disturbed by anyone, and if someone was to enter his room it would be with his permission alone. A [Gate] opened near the entrance, from it emerged Demiurge, Pandora's Actor and Sebas, the NPCs placed themselves in a line and kneeled before Ainz.

"We are honored that you would summon us here, Ainz-sama." Sebas announced

"Rise." Ainz instructed, and his servants obeyed

"I have taken all precautions so as to be certain the conversation we have here, won't be heard by anyone on the outside. Which means what is said here, cannot be discussed with anyone else, under no circumstances, even if the order is given by me, you won't speak of it. Understood?" Ainz asked

"Yes." they replied

"You have been summoned here, as you are the smartest and most trustworthy servants in Nazarick."

"You flatter us, Ainz-sama." Demiurge said

"The reason you have been summoned here, is related to why Alucard-san left. That reason being Albedo…" the Overlord paused, letting his words settle in

"Do you wish for us to eliminate her?" Demiurge asked, having a difficult time hiding his rage

"No. But before we discuss what shall be done with her, I plan on informing all of you on what has happened so far." Ainz informed, lifting the report from his desk

"This report documents the first encounter between Alucard-san and the man known as Abraham Van Helsing, in it Alucard-san theorized about us using this man's information to return to our world. This report wasn't supposed to be read by anyone except myself and Alucard-san, however Albedo read it, that is what we believe to be the trigger which lead to all of this."

"But why would she do this?" Pandora's Actor asked

"Love. The love she feels for me, turned into obsession, which added to her devotion lead to the creation of a being, that will go to any means to make sure I stay here, where she believes I should be. Of course we believe that she won't rationalize her actions with this, she will most likely say everything she does is for the good of Nazarick."

"Is that what some of the Supreme Beings would call Yandere?" Demiurge asked

"Y-Yes. To begin with, Albedo influenced Clementine to attack Helsing's manor in order to get rid of the information. For that purpose, she used an Eight-Edged Assassin as a messenger which she then killed, also stole some equipment being used for security tests, and had Clementine read the report. However, Clementine decided not to go ahead with her mission, but was injured by Helsing, which lead to Alucard-san having to keep her under his which under guise of "punishment"." Ainz informed

"She didn't stop there. The incident in the 2nd Floor was also caused by her, we believe she influenced one of Shalltear's brides to place something in Alucard-san's drink, in order to drive him into a Blood Rage. She would then openly admit her intentions to Alucard-san while he was in the Frozen Prison, which lead to him leaving, in order to prevent any more conflicts between them."

"I will now listen to what you have to say."

"Shouldn't we consider executing her, Ainz-sama? I mean for her sins, such a fate is justified." Sebas suggested

"That's a simple-minded idea, it will only make things harder for us. Albedo holds great responsibility, responsibilities that no one else can take or is efficient in. Losing her, even if it was justified, would bring us nothing." Demuirge pointed out

"As expected of Demiurge, that's exactly right." Ainz said

"Think nothing of it, Ainz-sama. I'm sure you had already come to such conclusion."

"Even so, you are correct. Albedo is a necessary part of Nazarick, had it not been for her efforts we wouldn't be as well as we are now, not to diminish the contributions of others, but it is no lie she did much for Nazarick. That is why execution, or imprisoning isn't an option."

"Then, wouldn't it be possible for us to alter her mind? With the use of Downfall of Castle and Country." Pandora's Actor suggested

Ainz froze, of course he could do that, if the mind control was done correctly she would suffer no major changes other than the suppression of her unwanted traits, it was perfect. However, his mind went straight to when he altered her settings, that was his mistake, the mistake that had led to all of this, hadn't he done what he did, Alucard-san wouldn't have had to leave. No, he couldn't do that again, he could make another mistake, god knows how desperate he was when he used the item on Alucard, but that was his friend, the last friend he had on this world, he couldn't let him go. Alucard at the time was hostile that was another major reason for what he had done, but Albedo could be controlled, could be influenced in order to keep working normally.

"N-No. Downfall of Castle and Country will remain where it is, for the time being." Ainz replied, with an empty tone

"As you wish." his creation said

"For the time being, I want all of you to keep an eye on her. If something you consider strange happens, report it immediately to me, and me alone. Make sure she doesn't notice you, after all Albedo is one of the greatest minds of Nazarick, and wields considerable influence. Any questions?"

"No, Ainz-sama." they replied

"Good. Now go."


	45. Sky Walkers

Four, Clementine, Lottus, Brain and Zesshi sat around a camp fire, it was already night with no visible moon to light the forest, not too far from them were six tents. They were in the middle of their dinner, while Alucard and his Brides sat on the trees looking out for any irregularities in the area.

"You still can't cook properly, Four~" Clementine remarked, taking a bite out of her meal

The man ignored her and continued eating, it had already been a few days since they left Hilma's mansion, they had already reached the halfway point and the only reason Four was still there was because he needed the rest before beginning the trip back.

"That's because he prefers his meat charred, instead of cooked." Brain laughed

"Screw off, kid." the guide growled back

"We should have let Alucard cook." Zesshi said

"That's right~! Who would have known a vampire could cook so well~" Clementine said, throwing what remained of her meal into the fire

"Wasteful." Lottus mumbled

"Don't come whining to me when you get hungry, because you didn't eat your dinner." Four said

"I won't~"

"Are you going to be alright, doing the trip back alone?" Brain asked

"I could ask the same thing to you. With the war, things could go wrong fast." Four said

"We'll be fine. We just need to follow the path, correct?" Zesshi asked

"Yes. But don't count out the possibility of someone attacking you."

"We won't." the half-elf remarked, with a confident expression

"Of course. I forget I was surrounded by a group that could give an adamantite ranked adventurer group a run for their money."

"That we can." Alucard said, emerging from the darkness of the trees

Alucard placed himself behind Zesshi and looked down at her plate, looking at the charred piece of meat he frowned, he was certain that even he would have problems biting into the thing.

"I see that today we are eating charcoal." the vampire laughed, causing the guide to roll his eyes at him

"To be fair, he didn't come to cook. Because as a guide, he's done a great job." Brain said

"You want some?" Zesshi asked, looking up at Alucard presenting her plate to him

"I'll pass. I just came to see that it's already pretty late, perhaps you should consider resting." Alucard said, looking at the group

"Ok~" Clementine said, getting up and going to her tent

The others also went to their tents, leaving only Zesshi and Alucard, the half-elf also threw what remained of her meal into the fire, while Alucard took a seat to her right.

"You know, that really is wasteful." the vampire said

"If you had cooked, this wouldn't have happened." Zesshi said, leaning into his shoulder

"You should go and get some rest too." Alucard said, letting his head lean into hers

"Don't you or your Brides need any help? I mean neither of you have gotten any decent sleep since we left Nazarick."

"No need to worry. Now go get some sleep."

Zesshi lifted her head from his shoulder, letting out a sigh she rose back to her feet, her eyes went briefly to the vampire, with his hood she couldn't see his face. Taking a step over the log, they were using as a seat, she started to walk away, deciding to say something as she did.

"You know, now a days my bed's been a lot colder."

"Perhaps because, you aren't sleeping in an actual bed and you're staying in the middle of the forest." Alucard said, causing her to roll her eyes at him

"Yeah, that must be it."

Zesshi walked towards her tent and stopped before entering it, she looked back to see the vampire's attention placed on the fire, slowly she went back to him with the objective of trying to sneak up on him. Much to her surprise he didn't seem to notice her, which she was having a hard time believing that, after all given his senses and expertise he should have been able to notice her right away. Managing to place herself right behind him, she threw her arms over his shoulders, wrapping him in a warm hug.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, calmly

"I'm cold, come to bed with me."

"I doubt an undead body would help you get any warmer."

"You would be surprised." she purred mischievously

Her eyes moved down to an object that was in his hands, it reminded her of a music box, not holding back on her curiosity, Zesshi let her arms travel down Alucard's trying to reach it but she found the box to still be out of her reach.

"Don't touch it. It wouldn't be wise to play music in the middle of the forest."

"Then it is a music box. What does it play?"

"A lot of things." Alucard replied, with an unsatisfactory answer

"Then show me."

"I can't. I still have to…" Alucard began to say, but someone interrupted him

"If you wish, you are free to stop for today. We can handle the rest by ourselves." Talia said, approaching the fire

"But that…" the True Vampire tried to speak, but this time Zesshi spoke over him

"Come on! We need you at a 100%, so today you're going to get some rest."

"Fine. Talia, place yourself and the others in a triangle formation, to make up for my absence."

Grabbing on to the vampire's right arm, Zesshi began to drag him back to her tent, having already given up Alucard allowed himself to be pulled by her. Arriving at the tent, Zesshi basically threw him inside, followed by quickly getting in herself and closing it and took a seat next to him.

"Can you show it to me now?"

Alucard sighed and opened the music box, the half-elf curiously looked at the strange object which was drastically different from any other music box she had seen.

"What would you like to listen to?"

"I don't know… You decide."

Alucard wondered what he should show her, since everything he had on the box was from his world, any song should be enough to surprise her, however he wasn't sure what to pick. He looked down at the object, let out a nervous sigh and pressed the random option, then prayed something decent would come out.

 **Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life**

"Sorry… I wasn't expecting that one, let me change it." Alucard said, visibly flustered

Quickly he tried to change the song, but Zesshi stopped him, he looked up at her and gulped, surely, she wasn't into it, it just didn't seem like her type of music.

"Don't change it."

"B-But I don't think you'll enjoy this one."

"I-I… It's f-fitting in a way. Tell me more about it."

"Well… It's old, really old. It was normally related to dancing."

"Dancing? I'm not that good at it." Zesshi informed

"Is that so? Perhaps I could teach you?" the vampire suggested, with a mischievous expression

"N-No! It's bothersome, and boring." she pouted

"Nonsense. You just have yet to find a proper partner, I'll teach you."

Zesshi was about to say something, just for Alucard to place his right index finger on her lips silencing her, causing heat to slowly rise to her face. The vampire began to push, causing her to move down and him to move up, so he was now on top of her, Zesshi's face became even more blushed, the vampire lazily lowered his head and whispered into her ear.

"Get some rest." he said, rolling to her side

"You can't do that!" Zesshi spat, sitting back up

"Do what?"

"Get me worked up and then do nothing!"

"I got you worked up? Perhaps you just get worked up to easily." the vampire argued, looking at his music box

Zesshi looked down at him, a sarcastic smirk decorated his face, giving him a matching smile she dropped her clenched left fist down on his gut, which thankfully Alucard stopped with his hands.

"What are you doing!? Don't you know how to behave?" he asked, surprised by the strength she placed behind the blow

"Behave!? Are you calling me a child?"

"Yes. And much like I would do a child, I'll have to punish you." Alucard replied, with a chuckle

"How will you do that?" she asked teasingly, leaning down on him

"I'll leave." Alucard replied, with a mocking expression

Zesshi sighed and laid next to him, followed by placing one arm over his chest and pushing herself as close to him as she could.

"Are you feeling warmer?" the vampire asked

"I am."

* * *

Morning came and once more Zesshi woke up alone, stumbling out of her tent she found that Alucard and his Brides were already busy packing everything for them to leave, she also noted that Four had already gone.

"Good morning." Alucard greeted

"Morning. Don't tell me I was the last one to wake up?"

"Brain and Clementine are still just waking up themselves." Touka replied

"Also, I took the liberty of sending my Brides scout the nearby area, and Nyx appears to have found something." Alucard informed

"What did she find?"

"A camp, about a mile away from us, in the direction we are going. It was empty, but there seem to be supplies there, so it may belong to someone."

"You think we should go there?" Zesshi asked

"I say why not. We could find something of use."

"Alright. Get ready people! We move out in 10 minutes!" Zesshi shouted, going to pack her own things

"Check out the lungs on her." Touka remarked

After everyone was ready, they made their way back to the main road and with Nyx taking the lead they made their way towards the camps location. At a certain point Nyx turned into the forest, going on a straight line towards the camp.

* * *

When they finally arrived they were surprised by what they saw, it was huge. It was made out of several tents, of different sizes, some crates with either supplies or weapons, and in the center a large fire, now long extinguish.

"There seems to have been some kind of struggle." Alucard remarked, looking at a few broken crates and destroyed tents

"We'll search the camp on foot." Zesshi said

Everyone got off their horses, tied them to the nearby trees and began the exploration process, splitting up into 3 groups, Alucard and Zesshi were one group, the Touka, Talia and Brain were another, Clementine, Lottus and Nyx were the final one.

Alucard carefully examined the destroyed tents, upon closer examination he found blood and drag marks, which he traced back into the forest, all signs made him think that the camp had been attacked by some group, most likely by surprise. What followed was chaos, some tried to fight off the enemy, while others had no time to act and were dragged out of their tents, either way there were no bodies, everything must have been taken into the forest.

"Someone's coming." Alucard said, looking at the same direction they had come from

"What do we do?" Zesshi asked

"We'll go and meet them. Stay behind me."

"I can defend myself!" Zesshi remarked

"I know. But I don't want to risk it, before we know the nature of who's approaching. You're too important."

"O-Ok."

"Let's go. I've already contacted my Brides, we'll meet up at the center of the camp."

The group joined up at the center of the camp, shortly after six elves emerged from the forest, the ones in front were wearing light armor, the one in the middle was female the other male, with bows. The three that were behind them, were wearing simple looking clothing, they were all male and young looking, they had a panicked look on their faces. Since no one acted, Zesshi emerged from behind him, as soon as the elves saw her the two males lifted her bows and the female lifted her hand, perhaps ready to use magic.

"Were you the one that did this to our camp?" the female elf asked, she was of medium height, long white hair, fare skin, light blue eyes

"Of course, they were! Just look at her!" the one to her left growled, he had short white air

"But I've never seen that face before." the one to her right remarked, he was bald and with several visible scars

"That means nothing! We don't have access to everything! He could have hidden her!"

"You didn't answer my question. Were you the one that did this?" the female asked, keeping her eyes on Zesshi

"We just go here. It was like this when we arrived." the half-elf replied

"Lies!" the other elf shouted

"Why don't you control your men? We are not looking for conflict." Alucard said, in a composed tone

"Why should I? Before me stands one of the King's children, why shouldn't I let him attack?" the female elf asked

"What makes you think I'm his child?" Zesshi asked

"It is a safe assumption. You have the eyes of Malekith, the King's eyes, just like Loki has, of course many of us are his children, but he only tends to keep those with his eyes next to him. The rest are of no interest to him."

"Sounds rough." Brain said

"We don't need your pity human." the bald elf growled back

"If the problem you have with me, is related with the King, you can drop it! He is my father in blood only." Zesshi growled back at them

"Why should we believe?" the female asked

"Because I am his daughter from the Slane Theocracy."

Her words had a visible effect on the elves, they seemed to ease their hold on their bows, the female elf dropped down from her horse and began to approach them, seeing this Zesshi decided to do the same.

"Is that true." the female elf asked

"It is." Alucard said

"We can't believe them, just like that!" the elf to her left said

"I don't think she's lying." the female remarked

"Instinct?" the bald elf asked

"Yes."

"Alright. Lower your bow." the bald one said, with his comrade doing so reluctantly

"You believe me?" Zesshi asked

"I have no reason not to. And my instincts are rarely wrong. If you are from the Theocracy, why are we still alive?"

"We're here to overthrow the King, and save your home."

"That's a tall order."

"Why don't your people get comfortable? We can get to know each other better after that." Alucard suggested

Alucard and the others set up some seats around the dead fire, while the new arrivals placed their horses away and moved the other three elves to one of the tents. When they began talking Zesshi introduced herself and her group, and so did the elves. The female was Sarya Luroris a magic caster and the leader of their group, the bald elf was Ralnor Oririeth, and the other one was Thaola Fatumal. They were members of Sky Walkers, an elven criminal organization, that had now taken upon itself to transport refugees out of Elf Country, since they had come to the conclusion they wouldn't be able to win the war, now they tried to save whoever they could.

"So those three were, refugees?" Alucard asked

"Deserters, to be more specific. They were the last remains of their squad, the rest were killed by the Holocaust Scripture." Sarya replied

"Still just three people, looking over three refugees, you must be low in numbers." the vampire remarked

"N-No. When we left there were ten of us, and seven refugees." Sarya said, pausing as if there was something she couldn't say

"However, it seems the King has had enough of this and sent in the Elite to deal with us." Ralnor added

"The Elite?" Zesshi asked

"The strongest soldiers in the kingdom, they answer directly to the King, they even stand above the Council." the female elf replied

"The Council?" Alucard asked

"Yes. The King can't be bothered with making decisions, so there is a group of five elves that do them for him. However, he has absolute power, so he can easily override their decisions." the bald elf replied

"Then, who are the Elite?" Zesshi asked

"There are 10 of them, they do whatever the King orders them to do. The one I mentioned earlier Loki, who's considered as the King's strongest son, is one of them."

"Is he the leader of the Elite?" Alucard asked, causing the three elves to exchange worried looks amongst themselves

"No. From what we know he's number 5 in strength, being 10 the weakest and 1 the strongest."

"What about the others?" the half-elf asked

"We don't know that much, we know that he is the strongest elf in the group, from our information all the others above him aren't elves, and the ones bellow are." Sarya replied

"I take it the Elite were the ones to kill the rest of you?" the vampire asked

"Not all of them, there were 6 of them." Thaola replied

"Then at least one of them is not an elf." Alucard concluded

"Yes. There was one in a cloak, we couldn't see his body."

"How did you get away?" Zesshi asked

"The others sacrificed themselves to slow them down." the female elf replied

"And their camp wasn't too far from that location. I don't think that after capturing them, Loki will be on the move that soon."

"Why's that?"

"He's a sadistic monster, who lives to inflict pain on others. While he has something to play around with, he won't want to move." Ralnor replied

* * *

On another part of the forest, there was another camp with a large tent, and a few smaller ones next to it, there was also an open-air carriage with a cage on top of it, inside that cage were three elves refugees.

Inside the larger tent muffled screams could be heard, on a rectangular wooden table a female refugee found herself restrained by both her feet and hands, next to the table was another smaller table with several instruments. She was naked, and covered in several, precise and shallow, cuts, standing next to her was another elf, he had different colored eyes, medium height, and medium sized silver hair. He was Loki Heleric, the strongest son of the Elf King, and this was his play time, at the moment he was searching for the perfect tool to remove the points of her ears, just like what was done to slaves.

"Boss, I lost their track." someone else said, entering the tent

He was a massive thing, taller and more muscular than any other elf, he was Vulmon Iarzana, the brute of the Elite.

"Well, it wasn't like I expected someone like you to be able to do that. Go and call Iota." Loki remarked

"Yes, boss." with that Vulmon disappeared

Loki picked up a knife and turned to look at the bound woman, as he did so his eyes went to the corner of the tent, there stood a figure in a black cloak and hood that completely covered its face.

"Don't you have anything else better to do?" Loki asked, and the figure moved its head to the sides in reply

"I see. Want to go find the ones that got away?" he got the same answer

"Boss, I've brought Iota." Vulmon announced, reentering the tent

Standing next to the brute, was an elf that stood as tall as Loki, his white hair was shaped into dreads, he wore light armor, and a tribal mask, he was Silvyr Shamyar the hunter of the Elite.

"Return to where we capture these ones, from there find the rest. When you do, return and tell us." Loki ordered

"Very well." Silvyr replied, leaving


	46. The Elite

It was already night, Alucard's group and the elves had taken temporary residence in the camp, Zesshi and Sarya being the leaders of their groups, decided to have a private meeting in the half-elf's tent, Alucard was also present as per Zesshi's insistence.

"How many people were supposed to be here?" Zesshi asked

"We were expecting 5 Sky Walkers members and 10 refugees to be at this camp when we arrived."

"We found clear signs that something had happened, from what we could tell they seem to have been taken into the forest. Could it have been the Elite?"

"No. Unless the King sent in more than those 7." Sarya replied

Alucard was listening to the conversation taking down as many mental notes as he could when he received a Message from Nyx.

[There's a stranger circling the camp.]

[What does he look like?]

[I'm almost certain he's an elf, with white dreadlocks, mask, and wearing light armor.]

[I see.]

"If I may interrupt the conversation. Sarya, are you expecting someone else to come here? To be more specific, an elf, with white hair, dreadlocks, mask and light armor?" Alucard asked, looking at the female elf

"T-That's one of them! A member of the Elite." Sarya replied, visibly panicking

"Don't worry he's alone. He won't be a problem, with us here." Alucard said

"What are you planning to do?" Zesshi asked

"Let him look around, as long as he doesn't try anything against us we let him do as he wishes and leave."

"What!? Are you an idiot, if you let him live he'll report back to the others and when the next time he comes here he'll bring the rest of the Elite with him!" Sarya growled

"Exactly. We will then get rid of them." the vampire remarked

"Do you believe, that would be the best course of action?" Zesshi asked, looking at the vampire

"I wouldn't have suggested it, if I didn't believe we were able to deal with them."

Zesshi pondered what he said, it annoyed her that in this situation she had to be the one to give him the order to go ahead. She thought of what she had been told about the Elite, from what she understood the members of the Elite going after them were not that powerful, and to be honest she was curious to see what the King's strongest son could do.

"If anything goes wrong, it will be your mess to clean up." she hissed

"I know."

"Then, let him walk around." Zesshi said, and Alucard nodded in reply

[Nyx, let him be as long as he doesn't try to do anything against us. Inform Talia and Touka.]

[As you wish.] Nyx said, ending the Message

Silvyr moved silently from tree to tree, carefully examining the camp and its inhabitants, counted 8 people around the fire, 2 of the Sky Walkers members were there and the 3 refugees, and 3 inside a tent, he concluded this through their silhouette. The Elite went into a squatting position, followed by placing his right hand on the floor, the bracelet he wore around his wrist began to move and squirm, revealing itself to be a large centipede. The creature quickly slid through the grass making heading straight for the tent, seeing the centipede going in the right direction Silvyr turned and made his way back to his camp.

* * *

Back in the Elite camp, the cloaked figure began to move, it looked around the room setting its eyes on Loki's bed where the elf was currently raping the female elf he had just finished torturing. She was covered in cuts, bruises, and her hair was still stained with the blood from the removed points of her ears, the smell was strong it made it hard for the figure to control its hunger.

"We have found something of interest." it announced, with a voice that didn't seem to be male or female, trying to get Loki's attention

"You can tell me about that…after I'm finished…" Loki panted

"It will interest the King." the figure added

Loki stopped his assault on the girl, sat on the bed and looked back at the figure gesturing for it to speak.

"We found a female with eyes like yours, like the King."

"Who is she?"

"They call her Zesshi."

"I didn't know there was someone else with the same eyes. Do you think my father knows about this?"

"We don't think the King does. If he did, he would have kept her around." it replied, to which Loki gave him a large grin

"Then, she is valuable? My father would be proud if we brought her back to him."

"The King feels no such emotions for others. Shouldn't we inform him?" the figure asked

"No! We'll take her as a gift, as an offering." Loki replied, to which the figure simply nodded

Loki looked at the quivering form that laid next to him, with his left hand he grabbed a handful of her hair, forcefully he moved the head to one side and then the other, examining the healing of her ears, it seemed to be going smoothly.

"Clean yourself up." he growled, getting up from the bed and placing his clothes back on

"Y-Yes…" she sobbed

The elf motioned for the cloaked figure to follow him while he went outside of his tent, he walked pass the fire where Vulmon was sitting at, with him were two other elves, one male and the other female. The male was Zeno Heileth, he was slightly shorter than Loki with messy blonde hair, he wore a light blue robe, the female was Soora Heileth, she had longer blonde hair, a similar robe, she was shorter than her brother and much younger looking.

"You could at least keep her silent, while you do your… activates." Zeno growled, looking at Loki

"Why should I do that?" Loki asked, sarcastically

"My sister, doesn't have to listen to those things!" Zeno spat back

"Perhaps you should mind how you speak to me, caster. Or I will have to show your precious little sister, what those "activities" are." the King's strongest son remarked

"You bastard, you dare…" Zeno began to rise from his seat, when his sister stopped him

"Sit down, brother, please." Soora pleaded, causing her brother to seat back down

"He didn't mean it." she then told Loki

"I'm sure that's the case."

"What brought you out of your tent?" Zeno growled

"Our prisoners, we no longer need them." Loki replied, causing the Heileth siblings to widen their eyes

"What!? But our mission is to bring them back." Zeno pointed out

"They are nothing compared to what we've found in their camp."

"What did you find?" Soora asked

"A sister, one that shares the same eyes as me."

"T-The King would be happy if we brought her to him." Soora said

"What if we fail? I doubt she's alone." Zeno asked

"Then we get rid of them." Vulmon replied

"What a brutish way to do things." a new female voice said

Everyone turned to the newcomer, it was a female elf named Arryn Nerilana, she was as tall as Zeno, light purple hair, she was wearing revealing white dress, her eyes were white, she was covered in several painted symbols, and had a wooden staff.

"Brutish, perhaps. But we still don't know how many of them they are, since Iota has yet to return, either way I'm sure you don't want to be the one to cover our getaway." Loki said

"Fine, I'll do things your way. About the prisoners, shouldn't we keep them around? They could be useful." Arryn suggested

"I already have a plaything, I don't need another."

"If you insist, go ahead." she said

"Why don't you feed on them? Or make some use of them?" Loki asked, looking at the cloaked figure

"We shall, if you have no use for them."

"Then we're returning to our tent. There's no need for us to watch this." Zeno said, getting up and leaving with his sister

Just before the figure could begin, Silvyr returned and went to join those that were still by the camp fire.

"What can you tell us?" Loki asked

"I believe there are 8 fighters in that camp, along with 3 refugees." he replied

"Seven ants and 1 dragon, doesn't seem like too much trouble." Loki laughed

"Don't you think you are underestimating them?" Arryn asked

"Don't tell me you have no faith in your power? Or that of the rest of the Elite?" Loki spat back

"I assume that the 3 remaining members of Sky Walkers were there, the rest seemed to be humans." Silvyr informed

"Even better! This will easy, I doubt I'll have any time to have some fun." Loki laughed

"Now, let's get back to our tents, and let Delta do is work." he added, vanishing back into his "play room"

Everyone did as they were told, as soon enough the forest was filled with blood chilling screams.

* * *

Sarya exited Zesshi's tent, leaving the half-elf alone with the vampire, they looked at each other and sighed, thinking of the situation they were in.

"If anything goes wrong, it's your fault." Zesshi said, referring to him having allowed the Elite to escape

"I know, I know. There is no need to worry, it's better to face them now, that we'll only have to deal with the weaker ones. From what we have been told, they don't seem to be that strong, perhaps strong enough to rival the others, but not me, or you, or my Brides."

"You've got a point. To be honest, I want to see what this Loki can do." Zesshi said

"I'm sure you'll have the opportunity soon." Alucard remarked, going to exit the tent

"Don't you want to stay?" Zesshi asked, with a shy expression

"I'm sorry, I can't. I'll keep on the lookout with the Brides, so nothing will get pass the perimeter."

Zesshi didn't say anything, letting the vampire leave, it was only fair since last time she had been so insistent on him joining her, and this time around there was actually a threat for them to look out for.

Alucard climb up a tree and took residence on one of its branches, it didn't take long for him to sense someone on the same tree right above him, looking up he saw Ralnor. The bald elf looked back down at him, and carefully climb down to sit on the same branch as Alucard.

"I take it you are acting as a look out?" Alucard asked

"I am. You?"

"The same."

"Why don't you go and get some rest? I can take it from here." Alucard said

"I saw that there are others in other trees, they are wearing similar armor. I take it you are some kind of organized group, perhaps hired to help Zesshi?" Ralnor asked

"You're not too off from the truth." Alucard remarked

"What I don't understand, who those 3 are. They don't seem to match your colors, or hers."

"We found them along the way, and managed to get them on our side."

"Must have been difficult to do." Ralnor said

"It wasn't easy, I admit."

"Especially that Clementine, she looks like trouble, dangerous." Ralnor pointed out, looking at Alucard with a serious expression

"No need to look at me like that. You are all safe, we have her under control."

"Then she is dangerous." Ralnor said, looking back to where Clementine was

"She is rather docile at the moment, as long as you don't mess with her, it will be fine."

"What about your leader, is she really from the Theocracy?" Ralnor asked

"Why ask? I thought you believed our story."

"I do. But thinking of everything they had done so far, it's hard to believe they would have a half-elf working with them."

"She's strong, perhaps the strongest warrior in this world, it would be a waste to get rid of her."

"To be used since birth for their goals… poor girl."

"That doesn't matter now. Go and get some rest, you'll need all your energy for tomorrow." Alucard said

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow." with that Ralnor left

* * *

Morning came, Zesshi was still asleep when someone began to shake her awake, slowly her eyes began to open revealing Alucard, she staggered back up taking a seat as she let out a weak yawn.

"W-What?"

"They are on the way. Get ready, and make sure to bring your weapon." Alucard replied, causing her eyes to grow wide

"How long before they are?"

"About 20 minutes."

"What about the others?"

"My Brides are waking everyone up. Sarya told us not to wake up the refugees."

"Let's get moving then."

After some time, the Elite became visible in the forest, there was a carriage carrying a cage with 3 prisoners inside, standing on top of the cage was a cloaked figure. The one controlling the carriage wore a mask, to his right was an elf with the same eyes as Zesshi, on his lap was a badly beaten female elf. There were 3 other horses, each one carrying another member of the Elite, except for the one carrying two blonde elves.

"We'll meet them here." Zesshi said, looking at Sarya, they were standing at the center of the camp

"This is your plan, just tell us what to do." Sarya said

The Elite stopped their advance as soon as they entered the camp, they jumped off of their horses and cage, continuing their approach on foot, leaving their horses and prisoners alone.

"We'll deal with them. You and your men, free the prisoners." Zesshi mumbled so only Sarya would ear, the female elf nodded in reply

The Elite stopped and all eyes fell on Loki and the broken elf standing behind him, some were also interested in the cloaked figure, who stood behind the rest of the Elite.

"Greetings, I am the Epsilon Elite, Loki Heleric. Also known as the King's strongest son. We are here for you." Loki announced, pointing at Zesshi

"Me?"

"Yes. To bring you back to our father."

"I'll pass." she hissed back at him, causing Loki's lips to curl into a disturbing grin

"Good, after all it would be too boring to do this the peaceful way. And personally, I am dying to see what you can do." the male elf said

"Then, why don't we split up?" Alucard suggested

"What do you suggest?" the purple haired elf asked

"There are 7 of you…" Alucard began, but the elf interrupted him

"Only 6, he won't be fighting." she corrected, motioning to the cloaked figure

"Even so, I understood the Elite were strong. I say we allow them to have their one-on-one, while the rest of us fight amongst ourselves."

"Wonderful suggestion! I say we do it." Loki said

"You heard the man, let's split up." Alucard said

Suddenly a scream broke through the air, everyone was drawn to the source, it was one of the refugees, behind him were the other two, it didn't take long for them to begin stumbling and soon run into the forest, in a panic.

"Brain, go after them." Zesshi ordered

"Yes." the man replied, taking chase

"Iota, go and get them. Kill them all!" Loki ordered, the masked elf nodded and vanished into the trees

"Now then, let's split up." he added

* * *

The members of Sky Walkers chose the one that looked like the easiest to deal with of the Elite, Vulmon, lucky for them Nyx decided to go with them. Zesshi and Loki stayed in the center of the camp, with his elf slave staying close by, Lottus and Clementine made their way to the edge of the camp once they were confronted by the Heileth siblings. Alucard was about to order the rest of his Brides to go and assist them, when Arryn got in their way suggesting for them to change locations, which he, and by extension Talia and Touka, agreed to.

"Sister, before we get started, I need a name." Loki said

"Zesshi Zetsumei."

Loki unsheathed his sword and took his stance, Zesshi also took a stance of her own with her weapon, it wasn't her most efficient stance but she wanted to test him.

"[Flash Step]." Loki mumbled, vanishing

Zesshi's eyes widened, he had completely vanished from sight, then she felt a sharp pain going through her left side, her eyes darted down to see the small cut in her side, then she felt someone standing right behind her.

"Too slow." Loki chuckled

Spinning around, Zesshi tried to swat him into the ground with her scythe, but just like before, Loki vanished this time hitting her right side.

"Not bad. At least you are able to understand what's happening to you. I can't even count the number of times, I've done that same attack without my opponent even moving." her opponent mocked, now standing in the same place where he had started

* * *

Sarya and her men had tried to make their way to the prisoners, but the strangely large elf was considerably more agile for someone his side.

"The boss told me to kill you, I can't allow you to pass." the elf announced

"So be it. Who are you, Elite?"

"Kappa Elite, Vulmon Iarzana."

"Sarya Luroris."

"Ralnor Oririeth.

"Thaola Fatumal."

"What about you, girl?" Vulmon asked, looking at Nyx

"Nyx. I'm here to watch."

"Watch!? Aren't you going to help us?" Thaola gasped

"Yes. I was told to help people if they need it." Nyx replied, with an innocent tone

"Fine. Ralnor, Thaola fire at his eyes!" Sarya ordered

Taking aim, the two elves each fired an arrow at their foes eyes, Vulmon acted quickly and placed his left hand in front of the projectiles, causing them to bounce off of him on contact.

"Fools! As if something like that could get pass my Iron Skin." the large elf laughed

"[Lightning]!" Sarya roared, firing a beam of electricity at the elf

Much like the arrows, the spell was ineffective dispersing once it came into contact with Vulmon's chest.

"Not a bad effort. My turn." with that, Vulmon lunged at the trio

* * *

"What are your names~?" Clementine asked

"Zeno Heileth. Eta Elite." the brother replied

"Soora Heileth. Theta Elite." the sister replied

"From your appearance, I take it you are Magic Casters?" Lottus asked

"Yes." Zeno replied

"How fun~ It's been so long since I've killed any Magic Casters~" Clementine chuckled, grabbing one of her Stilettos

"Don't rush into this, we still don't know what they are capable off." the Lich pointed out

"Then what do you suggest we do~?" Clementine asked

Their little argument gave the siblings more than enough time to attack, they stood close to each other, Zeno lifted his left arm towards them while his sister lifted her right, a magical array took shape, before they both shouted.

"[Chain Dragon Lightning]."

* * *

Brain was still running after the elves, he called for them but his words fell on deaf ears, then something crashed into him sending him rolling across the floor, quickly getting back to his feet he drew his Katana, and placed his hand on the claw marks that now decorated his face.

"Not bad, human." Iota remarked, looking down at his clawed gloves

"The name's Brain. Brain Unglaus."

"Pleasure. I'm the Iota Elite, Silvyr Shamyar."

"The pleasure's all mine." Brain laughed, charging at his new opponent.

* * *

Alucard and his Brides had finally found a place to fight their new opponent, it was another clearing with a large rock formation in the center where the female elf stood.

"My name is Arryn Nerilana, Zeta Elite." she announced

"My name is Alucard."

"Talia."

"Touka."

"Then, let's begin."

"After you." Alucard said

"How fair of you, Alucard-san." a voice said, from their right

Alucard gulped, it was impossible, his head slowly moved to look at the source of the voice, when his eyes fell on him, he couldn't believe it, in front of them stood the World Champion himself, Touch Me.


	47. The Power of Zeta

Vulmon threw a right hand at Sarya, just for Ralnor to save her by pushing the female elf out of the Elite's way, Vulmon's fist hit a nearby tree instead breaking it in half. Thaola fired a barrage of arrows at the elf's back, just for them to bounce off his back, Vulmon spun around and lunged at Thaola. Overwhelmed by the surprising speed of the massive Elite, Thaola had no time to react before Vulmon wrapped his right hand around his head and sent him into the ground.

"That's one." Vulmon remarked, looking down at Thaola's body

"Over here!" Ralnor shouted, hitting the Elite's head with another arrow, causing him to turn to face him

"[Acid Javelin]."

The summoned bolt hit Vulmon in the left side of his face, the acid managed to overwhelm his Iron Skin and began to eat through it, the brutish elf let out a pain filled roar, placing both hands on his face. Taking advantage of the opening Thaola fired another bolt, hitting the Elite's left eye, further angering Vulmon.

"[Lightning]!" Sarya roared, firing a blast at her opponent's face

Vulmon placed his right hand in front of the spell, blocking it, with his left he removed the arrow in his eye, crushing it he let out a rage filled roar, blue flames began to erupt from his body. The flames moved towards his face and enveloped the injury, soon enough the damage was gone, Sarya and Ralnor's eyes widened in horror, the Elite looked down at them his face decorated with absolute rage.

"It's time to die!" Vulmon roared, lunging at them

"Get out of the way!" Ralnor cried out, pushing Sarya out of the way

This time around he wasn't so lucky as to avoid their foe's attack, with a single swing Ralnor was sent flying, his left arm removed from his body.

* * *

Clementine threw herself into the ground avoiding a blast from Soora, quickly rolling back to her feet she went on the offensive once again just to be hit by the [Lightning] spell from Zeno. Just as she crashed into the floor, Lottus fired a [Fire Javelin] at the siblings, to which Zeno replied by summoning a [Crystal Wall].

"That hurt~" Clementine whined, jumping back to Lottus side

"You, foolish woman. You're going to get yourself killed." the Lich growled back

"You're worried~? I'm flattered~" the woman chuckled

Like before the siblings closed the distance between themselves, Zeno lifted his left arm and Soora her right, an array appeared in front of them and they shouted.

"[Chain Dragon Lightning]!"

"[Mirror Wall]." Lottus said, summoning a glass wall in front of himself and Clementine

The energy blast hit the wall full force, the expected result would be the for the spell to be reflected back or at least redirected in another direction, however the spell was unfazed trying to break through the barrier. After a short struggle, the glass wall shattered sending pieces of glass and electricity at Lottus and Clementine, the Lich only managed to put up a weak defense but Clementine was hit with some of the attack before using Martial Arts to escape and take cover.

Lottus looked at the siblings and found them to be hovering above the camp, their arms still extended towards them and an array in front of them.

"[Rock Barrage]!" they shouted

Using [Greater Evasion] Clementine managed to avoid most of the projectiles, while Lottus raised another barrier to protect himself, when the barrage ended the elves dropped back down to the camp and looked over the results of their attacks.

"They're resilient." Soora pointed out, almost frightfully

"No need to worry, Soora. We already got them up against the wall, will get rid of them soon enough." Zeno said, confidently

"Don't look down on me, or the power granted to me by the Supreme Beings!" Lottus hissed, doing his best to straighten his posture

* * *

Brain swung wildly at Silvyr, who replied by effortlessly using his claws to block every blow, the Elite kicked Brain in the gut sending him staggering backwards. Like a cat Silvyr threw himself at his opponent, who jumped to the side to avoid the Elite, who quickly landed and spun to attack the human once more.

"[Cutting Edge]."

With a downwards swing Brain tried to slice right through his opponent, much to his surprise Silvyr jumped back just in time to avoid death, resulting in the Katana only cutting through the elf's mask. Silvyr placed his left hand on his face, checking if he had any cut on his face, he chuckled when he saw he didn't, his opponent charged at him his Katana ready to finish the job, to this the Elite jumped back into the trees.

"Show yourself, coward!" Brain shouted, trying to get his opponent to attack him

He could hear the elf jump from tree to tree, but the sounds were broken up by strange intervals, so he could conclude the only reason he was hearing him move around was because Silvyr was letting him. Taking his stance Brain, activated [Field] and waited for his opponent to attack, much to his surprise Silvyr appeared 10 meters in front of him, followed by lunging at him full speed.

Brain tightened his grip around his Katana and waited for the right moment, the elf stopped his run and jumped placing himself right over the human throwing a knife at Brain. Reacting to the incoming projectile Brain took a step back avoiding it, but this gave the Elite the opening it needed. Landing to Brain's left, he rammed his claws into the human's shoulders followed by a spinning kick to Brain's gut throwing him into the floor.

"For such a good fighter, that was a very flawed strategy." the Elite remarked

"Y-You knew what I was doing?" Brain gasped, certainly he didn't know about [Field]

"It was simple enough to conclude. What warrior waits for his opponent to attack, when that opponent could attack from any direction?"

Clapping began to echo through the area, both fighters began to look around trying to find the source, soon enough it emerged from behind some trees, from the same direction the refugees had run to and they had heard a crash.

"A-Ainz-sama?" was all Brain could muster, as he saw the new arrival

* * *

Alucard seemed to be frozen in place as Touch Me approached him, Alucard couldn't believe that he was there, it should be impossible, after all Touch Me wasn't there during the server shutdown, he couldn't have been.

"What… How? How are you here!?" Alucard asked, his voice wavering

"Come on, Alucard-san. Don't waste this time with such questions, after all it will be so limited." Touch Me replied, his tone turned disturbing at the end

"Limited?"

"Y-Yes. I hope you don't take this personally, but it is what I must do for the guild." Touch Me replied, slowly approaching Alucard, drawing his sword as he did so

"What you must do? Do you plan to kill me?"

"We both know that after everything that has happened, it would be best if you were gone, Alucard-san, perminatly."

Touch Me lounged at Alucard and his Brides, Talia and Touka jumped to the sides while Alucard threw himself back barely avoiding his comrades blow. Seeing their master under attack the Brides went on the offensive against Touch Me. Drawing their silver blades Talia attacked the right but was blocked by her opponent's sword, Touka went for the left but found herself being swatted away by Touch Me's shield.

"I commend both of you, for protecting your superior. However, it pains me greatly to see such devotion wasted on someone who's unfit to lead…" Touch Me remarked, but Alucard spoke over him

"You don't know what you're talking about." the True Vampire growled

"But you told me, Alucard-san."

"And made you promise not speak of it ever again! And who the hell are you!? Touch Me would never break his promises!" Alucard roared

"I get real for one moment, and already you start losing your composure? Come on, Alucard-san, that's so unprofessional of you."

Touch Me attacked Alucard once more, this time the vampire drew his weapon and with one hand on the hilt and the other on the end of the blade block his opponent's downwards slash.

"T-This cannot be real… It's impossible for you to be here." Alucard growled, trying to stand his ground

"Then why are you blocking my attacks? If this isn't real, surely nothing will happen to you."

"Good point."

Alucard kicked Touch Me's left leg, momentarily staggering the World Champion, he followed this with a spinning kick hitting Touch Me in the chest, however this barely fazed him. The Brides tried to attack their foe from behind, just for Touch Me to spin in an attempt to slice through them which forced the Brides to keep their distance. Alucard went to attack him from behind, to which his opponent replied, by turning back around hitting the vampire with his shield and sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Arryn watched the scene unfold in front of her, it seemed like her approach had not been the best one, perhaps it was a bit too soft, if she wanted to get the wanted response out of Alucard the correct stimulus would have to be use. Which meant she would have to try a more aggressive and direct means to get what she wanted, once he fell the other two would follow accordingly.

"You seem to be having a hard time, boss." a man said, from Alucard's right

The True Vampire was still on the floor when he heard the voice, nether the less it was enough to make his heart skip a beat, his head reluctantly to meet the new arrival. Leaning against the tree was a bald man, with a small beard, dark brown eyes, a cigarette and wearing a military uniform, on the shoulder was a logo with a black hound.

"…T-This is impossible… T-This cannot be real…" Alucard gasped, making his way back to his feet

"What do you mean, boss? I feel pretty real." the human chuckled, pinching his cheek

"B-But you can't be here, Gregory, that's just not…" the vampire continued, but the man jokingly interrupted him

"Possible? Come on, boss, I'll start to feel offended if you keep saying that. If this is that impossible, how do you explain the fact we're all here?" Gregory asked

Alucard's eyes darted immediately to where the Elite was, but she wasn't there anymore, his mind then went to something else Gregory said "we", soon from the forest other shapes began to emerge. There were 10 of them, and they were all wearing the same uniform as Gregory, Alucard didn't need to look at their faces, he knew exactly who they were. There were 4 women and 6 men, from those women one was of Japanese descent, the other Italian. From the men, 2 of them were brothers born in Europe, another was French, all the rest were of American origin. They, along with Gregory and Alucard, were the group known as Black Hounds.

"Big guy, we'll take care of it from here." Gregory informed Touch Me

"Very well." in a flash of light, Touch Me vanished

"Attention!" Gregory shouted, getting all eyes on him

"Everyone get in a straight line. We will now properly greet, Jack Briefs, former Commander and founder of the Black Hounds unit!"

Alucard could help but look back at his Brides and the baffled expression that decorated their faces.

* * *

Sarya dragged herself away from Vulmon, the elf was now finishing up with Ralnor and now directed his attention to her. The female elf was desperate, she had drained her energy and she was the last member of her group.

"I'll fight you." Nyx announced, appearing in between Sarya and the Elite

"What are you saying, kid!? He's a monster, you can't beat him."

Vulmon simply laughed, at the sight of someone saying such a thing with the voice of a child, he placed his hand on top of her head and began to pat it.

"Why don't you go play? We can "fight" after I'm done with her."

His laughs soon came to an end as he felt a sharp pain go through his body, looking down Vulmon cried out seeing the lower half of his right arm gone, laying on the floor next to the child.

"Don't put your filthy hands on me." she remarked, annoyed

"You little…"

Vulmon was cut midsentence, his head fell from his shoulders, with his body collapsing shortly after, Sarya looked on horrified, she had been wrong the Elite was a kitten compared to Nyx. What made things worse was that she hadn't seen Nyx move at all, from her point of view she hadn't moved since the moment she appeared between them.

"That was hardly a monster." the small vampire said, looking down at the Elite's body

"W-What now?" Sarya asked, still stunned by what she had seen

"Aren't you going to go help the prisoners?"

Sarya nodded vigorously and staggered back to her feet making her way towards the unguarded cage, keeping her eyes on the cloaked figure just in case it decided to act, she managed to approach her objective without meeting any resistance. Arriving in front of the cage, she was surprised to see the only thing keeping the door locked was a simple metal piece that with enough effort one of the prisoners could remove, she explained this with the Elite's arrogance. Removing the piece, she opened the door, and motioned the three elves to escape, slowly they began to move and exited the cage.

"Are you ok? Is anyone hurt?" Sarya asked, examining them

One of the elf's looked at her and attacked her, placing his hands around her throat he pushed her into the ground, Sarya grabbed on to his wrists trying to pull him off of her, all the while asking him to stop and that she wanted to help. Out of desperation she punched him in the face, much to her horror her blow was enough to cave his head in, sending the elf into the ground. The other two threw themselves at her, Sarya reluctantly took aim at them ready to blast the people she was meant to protect, luckily, she didn't have to go that far as Nyx kicked one into the other and ultimately into the ground. Sarya looked at the two bodies, who had been broken into two halves from the impact, her eyes then went to Nyx who was calmly starring back at her.

"They were already dead." Nyx pointed out

"W-What!? Why didn't you tell me?" the female elf spat back, the vampire simply shrugged

"Then what…"

Sarya stopped herself as she looked at the one she had punched in the face began to spasm, the head broke apart as something emerged from inside it, a creature that looked like a spider except with a large stinger in its rear. Her attention went to the other two, and from their heads had emerged similar insects, holding back the urge to vomit, she got back to her feet and watched as the creatures began to approach them.

"What are these things?"

"I think they're called Brain Bugs." Nyx replied, calmly

"[Lightning]." Sarya said, using the spell to incinerate one of the bugs

"[Acid Javelin]." with her last spell she managed to kill the other two

"What now?" Sarya asked

"We can go see how the others are doing." Nyx suggested

"What about him?" the female elf asked, looking at the cloaked figure

"He's not fighting, let him be."

* * *

Alucard couldn't believe his eyes, his team was there right in front of him, he knew that was impossible but they looked so real.

"Have to say you look good, sir." Jake, one of the Black Hounds, pointed out

"I don't mean any disrespect, but I would imagine someone so strong would have more muscle on them." Jennifer chuckled

"Calm down people, that's not what we are here for. Now, let's get down to business. How's it been boss, I see you've got yourself some new subordinates. To be honest I wasn't sure you had it in you." Gregory said

"What are you getting at, Gregory?" Alucard growled

"Damn, boss, it really pains me to say it. But if you want me to explain it, I'll do it. It surprises me to see a failed leader, who hid behind me in order to cover his own ass, take on that role once more." Gregory replied, his words filled with poison

"You're out of line, Gregory. And…" Alucard growled back, but the human interrupted him

"With all due respect, boss. Since the moment you decided I was a better option as the Commander of the unit, I was given the freedom to speak to you as I see fit. And you're trying to talk your way out of this, when you know perfectly they all died because of you!"

"Someone like you has no right to speak with that tone towards Alucard-sama." Talia growled, however her words were met with laughter

"We are his comrades. We are allowed some familiarity when talking to your "Alucard-sama"." Alexander informed

"But, his comrades are the 41 Supreme Beings." Touka corrected, just to be bathed in laughs

"What are the going on about?" Jennifer chuckled

"Doesn't that one look exactly like…" Michael tried to say looking at Talia, but Alucard silenced him

"Shut your mouth."

"You can't wave away something like that, boss. She looks exactly like…" Gregory was cut off by a female voice

"Me."

Alucard froze, his body became paler and he gulped, he could deal well enough with his friends and comrades threw insults and accusations at him, have them bring up all his baggage and failures as the leader of his unit. Have them blade him for the deaths of half of the unit during one mission, they were right it was his fault, has the leader of the Black Hounds he gave the order that got them killed. For that he gave his position to Gregory, becoming just another member of the unit, at the time it was the best option, he wasn't fit to be a leader and Gregory was the best option to replace him.

"You do look exactly like me, don't you Talia?" the woman continued

Alucard slowly turned around, next to the Brides were 6 people, the ones that had been killed because of him, because of his decision, however that was not the most disturbing aspect. Among them was a woman, she had been the reason he was left in such a miserable state after the tragedy, the woman looked exactly like his Bride, after all he had modeled Talia after her, his lover who shared the same name.

"A-Alucard-s-sama, w-who's this woman?" the Bride asked

"I'm you, well I'm the person he modeled you after."

"T-Talia…" Alucard mumbled

"Did you miss me, darling?" the human Talia asked, approaching him

"…Of course, I did."

"I'm so glad. But I guess it makes sense…even murderers think of their victims from time to time." the woman hissed

It was as if, a spear had been driven through his heart, she kept on smiling as she said such things to him, the same smile she had whenever they were together, the same smile she gave him when it became obvious both her and her group were going to die.

"Don't make that face. That's the face of a victim, it doesn't fit you." she growled, walking away from him

"It's not my fault!" Alucard cried out

"As the leader, the blame falls on you. You made the choice that killed all of us, and you've been hiding from it ever since, pitiful." the human Talia said, rejoining her group

"You killed us, and now play the part of the victim so others will pity you." she added

"You became a coward, hiding behind others and letting them make the important decisions for you. Even now, you run from an easily fixable decision, all the while enjoying the freedom it gives you. You are happy by the fact you no longer have to carry the burden of a leader, even when you are surrounded by people who wish for nothing else then for you to be their guide." Gregory said

"Your Brides, will you leave them to die as well? Whenever the situation gets complicated." the human Talia asked

"Or will you do what you have done ever since you killed them? And use yourself as a shield for everyone except yourself." Gregory asked

The Brides looked at Alucard, tears were rolling down his face, these people who called themselves his comrades, who had called their master on more than one occasion Jack Briefs, were speaking the truth. That was what they could conclude judging by his reaction, but certainly their words were distorted, it was impossible for someone like Alucard to be the man they were describing him as. Talia was still thinking of the human who looked exactly like her, from what she understood she had been Alucard's lover, the human had said that she was modeled after her.

"It seems everything I taught you was for nothing." a new rough sounding male voice said

Alucard managed to move his attention from Talia to the source of the sound, his Brides followed his movements, they saw an old yet rogued looking man, in a dark blue full suit.

"Of course, you're here, Father." Alucard said, his tone was empty and emotionless

Talia and Touka were once more hit by a wave of surprise, this human was their creator's father? They looked around and everyone seemed to be showing their respect for the man, he must be someone of great importance from their point of view.

"I already told you not to calm me that. And yet you insist on doing it." the old man sighed

"I can't be helped, you were the one that brought me into your family." Alucard said, the elder slowly scratched the back of his head

"And yet you threw everything I taught you away. In the end, you are much of a stray as the day I found you."

"Please, Father…" Alucard tried to speak, but the elder raised his hand to silence him

"I don't want to hear it. I didn't teach you to be no coward, leaving your comrades behind, hiding behind others when you fail, that attitude is truly fitting of a stray. Not that of a person I educated."

"You're wrong!" Alucard shouted

His thunderous voice echoed through the area, sending a child down everyone's backs including Arryn, everyone except the man he called Father. Who stood unfazed by the vampire's sudden outburst.

"Are you done, child?"

"No I'm not, for the same reason I said before. This isn't real."

"You say this based on what evidence?" the elder asked

"It would be impossible for any of you do be here, which means you are at least illusions. And not perfect illusions at that, all of you have showed deviations from your original personalities. Everything each and every one said, I know perfectly that you wouldn't say it, at least not in the way you spoke. I'll admit that many of the things you said were correct, I did drop the spot of Commander because of my failure, and since then I've been unable to act like a proper leader even when I was given the chance or was needed. But if you think I am unfit as a leader, just ask them, they are the living proof that I am more than able to lead someone!" Alucard roared, pointing at his Brides

"You wouldn't lead the Black Hounds, but you lead them. Why's that?" the human Talia asked

"Because I don't want to lose you a second time." the vampire quickly replied

"Smooth as ever Jack… But you already lost me, keeping her from dying won't change a thing."

"Call me weak-willed if you like, but after losing you she became enough for me to live with myself. She isn't your replacement, she'll never be, I know that what I lost will never come back."

"What about us? How does that explain the fact you abandoned us?" Gregory asked, as Talia and her group made its way towards the Black Hounds

"It wasn't by choice. None of this was my choice, that said I wouldn't change having come here."

"And you can live with that?"

"Of course, I can. The unit is in your hands, I can't imagine anyone else as it's Commander."

"Words aren't enough to wash away your failures." the elder pointed out

"They're not. But let's be honest here, when was the last time I failed you? You taught me everything you wanted, you said so yourself, and as you can see I did the best I could with it. I was put in charge of my own unit, they have a good success rate, I do have a lot of regrets. It took me some time to regain my bearings after losing Talia and the others, but I learned to live with it. However, I still lack the want to be a leader, every time I'm given that duty I fear that they will lose my life because of my decisions…" Alucard paused

"But Rome wasn't built in one day, and now perhaps more than ever I need to be the leader my comrades need me to be. Don't worry about it, Father, I didn't forget any of the things you taught me… I will make you proud."

The old man scratched the back of his head, as he slowly walked up to the rest of group, as he did so small particles began to fly away from his body, that was the case for every member of the group, they were slowly fading away.

"You always were stubborn." the old man sighed

"Attention!" Gregory shouted

"We will now say farewell, to our former superior and eternal comrade, Jack Briefs."

The group, except the Elder, saluted the vampire, Alucard let out a tiered sigh he guessed it was time to say goodbye, after all he had always regretted not having told them anything before the server shutdown. Alucard straightened his posture, and saluted his comrades and Father back.

* * *

While Alucard and his Brides "fought" Arryn, Zesshi was busy dealing with Loki. The half-elf was covered in several cuts, Loki kept his distance from her all the while mocking her, he was getting on her nerves. He had been lucky, Zesshi herself admitted that she had gotten a little rusty during her time in Nazarick, not having that much to do or a training regimen imposed on her, had led to some slacking off on her part.

"What's the problem? Can't keep up with my speed? Honestly I'm not surprised." Loki mocked, to his surprise Zesshi began to chuckle

"That wasn't a bad workout. I think now I'm ready to go."

"What!? Are you delusional? Or did you not notice the state you're in?" Loki hissed

"These are all shallow cuts. And so far, you've been nothing but lucky, I've got to admit I've grown a bit rusty, and I'm not wearing my gear. To be honest, your speed isn't that impressive, Alucard can do the same without even trying."

Zesshi didn't give Loki time to reply as she charged at him, the male elf used [Flash Step] to close the distance between them. His plan was to pass and slice through her right side, much to his surprise she reacted hitting him in the gut with the middle of her scythe sending him into the ground.

"Forget it. I'm not bluffing when I said I was ready to go. Do you have any other trick?" Zesshi asked coldly, looking at her fallen opponent

"Don't get cocky, bitch." Loki spat, rolling back to his feet

The Elite attacked the half-elf head on, without the use of Martial Arts, Zesshi swung her blade at him which he managed to avoid before using [Flash Step] to close the distance between them. It was Loki's plan to attack her before she could react, since they were so close she shouldn't be able to act, much to his horror her eyes locked on him as soon as he activated the Martial Art. This time the end of her weapon hit him in the chest sending him crashing into the ground once more, this time the Elite didn't get up so soon, an immense pain covered his entire body, she had definably broken something.

"Are you done?" Zesshi asked

"As if, someone like you could beat me." Loki replied, forcing himself back to his feet

Rolling her eyes at him, Zesshi ran at Loki ready to deliver the final blow, the Elite used [Flash Step] this time moving to her right, not even thinking twice she matched his movements, and swung her blade at him. However, she failed to notice the elf girl he had brought with him, her blade ended up slicing clean through the poor girl completely missing Loki. Blood went everywhere momentarily stopping Zesshi, and giving Loki the opening he needed, emerging from behind the dead elf, he rammed his blade right into Zesshi's gut.

Blood spilled freely from her mouth, Zesshi looked down at the blade that had pierced her flesh, how unsightly, she had certainly fallen out of grace with this one, not even in her fight with Alucard had she suffered such damage. Her mind drifted to that fight, and the moment that had both excited and surprised her, when Alucard, even with her weapon in his shoulder, grabbed on to it and declared that he had her. Her eyes slowly looked up to meet Loki's sadistic gaze, a weak smirk formed in her face, followed by her left hand wrapping around his wrist.

"G-Got you."

Loki's eyes widened, using her superior strength she easily crushed his wrist forcing the Elite to let go of his sword, letting go of him Zesshi allowed her opponent to take a few steps back, before she removed the blade from her gut and rammed it through his neck.

"Alucard's going to be mad." Zesshi mumbled

Ramming her scythe into the ground, she used it as support for her aching body, looking down at her wound she cursed herself for having lowered her guard that much. Placing her weapon over her shoulder, she began to make her way to where Alucard was fighting, her other hand still covering her badly bleeding wound.

"That was a dumb mistake." Nyx remarked, appearing before her

"I hadn't noticed." Zesshi said, stopping as the young vampire was blocking her way

"I'm going to heal you."

"But there are fights still going on."

"Doesn't matter. I was told that after dealing with my opponent, I was instructed to heal all those that were injured."

"F-Fine."

* * *

At the moment Loki died something happened, Alucard who was watching his comrades fade away saw them simply vanish before his eyes, and the sound of a cry echo through the air.

"No! [Fly]." Arryn cried out, taking flight in the direction of the camp

"Touka don't let her escape!" Alucard ordered

Arryn was still flying over them when Touka appeared right in front of her, tackling the Elite forcing the elf and herself to crash back into the ground.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Arryn screamed, trashing in the Bride's grip

"Why should we?" Alucard asked, picking up her fallen staff

"They killed my baby. They killed my baby…" Arryn replied, soon bursting into tears

"My Loki… they took my Loki away from me…"

"Loki was your son?" Talia asked

"Y-Yes…"

"Is that why you have this staff? It seems to be more powerful than anything I felt on the others." Alucard asked

"Y-Yes. That was my reward... for gifting the King with a worthy son…" Arryn replied, with a crazed look

"You have to give it back to me! Please, give it back!" the Elite cried out, once more trashing in Touka's grip

"What if we don't?" Touka asked

"He'll kill me!"

The figure stood unmoving, it hadn't moved since the fights begun, even so it was aware of everything that was happening in the battlefield, after all that was its role, the only one he wasn't sure about was Iota.

[Zeta has lost. The staff is in the enemy's hands.] a deep voice echoed in its head

[We know. Only the siblings remain. What should we do?] the figure asked

[The King is displeased, recover the staff. I'll go and get you after that.]

[We understand. How should we deal with Zeta?]

[Kill her.]


	48. The Truth of the Elite

Lottus and Clementine took cover behind some crates, they were effectively trapped, the Heileth siblings kept their attention focused on the crates, with their arms still extended ready to attack.

"Can you create a diversion~? Something to block their vision~?" Clementine asked

"What are you planning?" Lottus asked back

"Well, if you distract them, I can get in close and take them out~ After all I just need to take out their arms, since that's what they seem to need to use to combine their powers~"

"Take out their arms? Do you plan on letting them live?"

"Why should I kill them~? Wouldn't that be wasteful~?" Clementine asked, as if speaking of mere tools

"Are you serious, are you really considering letting them live?" Lottus asked, still doubtful of her words

"Didn't Alucard do the same with us~? Since they are part of the Elite, they should be useful, and from what I can tell we are the only ones still fighting~"

"…There may yet be some hope for you." the Lich remarked, to which Clementine gave him a disturbing smirk

"There's no need to go that far, Lottus~ We may still have to "convince" them~ Now if you can distract them, I can take out their arms and keep the small one as a hostage. You can deal with the brother, correct~?"

"Of course."

Lottus emerged from cover and lifted his hands towards the elves, followed by saying [Blinding Flash], the sudden outburst of light momentarily stunned the siblings. Activating [Pace of the Wind], [Greater Evasion], [Ability Boost] and [Greater Ability Boost], Clementine easily closed the distance between herself and her opponents, ramming her Stilettos into Zeno's left shoulder and Soora's right shoulder, before removing her weapon from the bother's shoulder and putting it up to the sister's throat.

"You…" Zeno hissed, but Clementine easily silenced him

"Don't be mean, or I'll be forced to do the same~" Clementine remarked

"Stand down, boy. And she will be unharmed." Lottus ordered

"And do you expect me to believe the likes of you!?" Zeno growled back

"No~ But it would be beneficial for you and her if you did~"" Clementine replied

"Is that so? You expect me to hear what you have to say, while you point a blade at my sister's neck!? Don't take me for a fool, woman!"

"Calm yourself, you don't want to anger Clementine needlessly. What we offer is an opportunity to join our group, and work with us in order to achieve our goal." Lottus said

"What goal would that be?"

"To take down the Elf King, and have Zesshi take his place."

Soora's eyes widened with shock, as if what Lottus words were horrifying to even consider, Zeno simply raised an eyebrow at the Lich, as if what he was saying was pure lunacy.

"You don't understand the power of the King. To go against him is madness!" Zeno shouted

"And he doesn't understand our power." a new female voice remarked

Their attention went to a newly arrived Zesshi, Sarya, and Nyx, Lottus and Clementine were silently surprised by the few cuts that covered the half-elf's equipment.

"You're all fools. Even gods kneel before him, do what can you hope to do?" the brother asked

"Alucard has killed gods before." Nyx replied nonchalantly

"But that doesn't matter now. Clementine why are you holding that girl? Or why are they still alive?" Zesshi asked, her eyes lazily moving from Soora to Zeno

"I thought they could be useful, and we should keep them around~" Clementine replied, to which Zesshi raised an eyebrow at

"That's not like you. Then let the girl go."

Clementine did as Zesshi said and released Soora, who immediately ran to her brother's side, Zeno placed his bad arm around his sister and lifted his other hand in case he needed to defend himself.

"Don't be an idiot. You'll be spared, as long as you work with us." Zesshi said

"Like hell I'll…" the male Elite growled, but his sister interrupted him

"S-Stop, brother… We've failed." she said, looking up at him

Zeno's eyes went to where the cloaked figure was, it was gone, he let out a low sigh as he understood what was happening. Soora was right, they had failed and now the King was going to cut them lose for it.

"F-Fine…"

* * *

Alucard, Talia and Touka were still trying to get some answers out of Arryn but the female elf had entered a panicked state, pleading them to return the staff to her and how she would be killed. Suddenly a massive black mass emerged from within the forest, coming from the direction of the camp, with it came a deafening sound, it didn't take Alucard long to understand with it was. The mass was composed of millions of insects acting as one unit, the large cloud swept over them, in what was an obvious effort to distract them, since Alucard could feel them concentrate around his head.

"Shi. Tsunami."

The force was enough to punch a hole into the mass of insects, however he soon saw that it was already too late, the staff that was in his hand was now missing it's upper half and Arryn was also missing her head. The mass soon dissipated into the sky, revealing another figure on top of the rocky formation, it was the true form of the cloaked figure. A humanoid insect, covered in several light shades of green, it had three clawed fingers in each hand and three clawed toes on each foot, the head was like that of a wasp. In its hands were Arryn's head and the remaining piece of the staff.

"A Sovereign Insect?" Alucard mumbled

"We are the Delta Elite, Raknoug." the figure replied

Before Alucard or his Brides could act a [Gate] opened next to the Elite, what came from inside it made Alucard nervous, it felt overwhelming, no it felt an equal to himself and Ainz a level 100 entity. The creature that emerged from the portal, had a greyish tint to his skin, the head of a jackal with elongated rectangular ears, green eyes, five clawed hands, with Egyptian armor. Alucard didn't need an introduction to know who he was, the being was the god of storms, desert, evil, chaos, and war, Set.

"Do you have it?" the new arrival asked

"We do."

"Then, we shall leave."

"Don't let them take that piece of the staff!" Alucard shouted, lunging at the Elites

"Foolish ant."

Set eyes began to glow and the sky became cloudy, followed by a barrage of lightning bolts raining down on Alucard and his Brides. Set and Raknoug didn't even pay much attention to the effect of the attack, they turned around and disappeared through the portal, and as soon as they were gone the lightning stopped and the sky cleared. Zesshi and Nyx arrived shortly after, and were meet with a desolated landscape, much to their surprise they saw Alucard and his Brides step out of the forest completely unharmed.

"You're ok, I was…" Zesshi began to say visibly worried, but Alucard spoke over her

"Worried? Come on Zesshi, you know me better than that." the vampire chuckled

"I see your fight went well…" Zesshi pointed out, noticing that strange expression in Talia and Touka's faces

"Something happened?" she asked, looking at the Brides

"Nothing at all. It's that the enemy's power was illusions and became confusing for a moment, but as you can see everything is fine." Alucard replied, Zesshi detecting something strange in his tone

"If you say so. Let's head back, Clementine and Lottus managed to subdue two of them into being cooperative, we just need to make sure they will join us."

"Clementine subdued them?" the True Vampire asked, surprised

"I'm as shocked as you."

* * *

Raknoug and Set arrived in a large room, it was mostly empty and poorly lit, there was a large door and a circular white stone table in the center, it had a large crystal ball on top of it, and with 11 chairs surrounding it, the chair that was in front of the door was akin to a throne. In that chair was Malekith, the Elf King, he wore expensive looking robes and a golden neckless, he had the same eyes as Zesshi and long silver hair. To his right was a female fallen angel, who wore a white dress with several crystal patterns drawn on it, a small tiara and earrings, her wings were raven black, her hair was long and blonde, her eyes were light blue. In the second chair to the King's left was a vampire in a full suit, he has slick back black hair, crimson eyes and pale skin.

"We have returned." Set announced, taking the seat between the vampire and Malekith

"Delta bring me the staff." the King ordered

"Why are you carrying that head around with you?" the vampire asked, noting Arryn's head in Raknoug's hand

"We forgot to drop it, we will eat it."

Raknoug handed the part of the staff he had taken to the King, placing it in the elf's left hand. Malekith broke away part of it, removing a metallic glove finger from within it, which he then placed in the metallic gauntlet he was wearing in his right hand.

"It has been some time, Master." the angel said, seeing the completed metal gauntlet

"I shouldn't have given it to that woman in the first place. Just goes to show how weak these people actually are, I gave her part of my power and she wasted it."

"It is to be expected from simple mortals. Even if they are your offspring, they are still plagued by their mother's weakness." the vampire said

"But that is of no importance now. Is it, my Lord?" Set asked, looking at Malekith

"Yes, my daughter… My daughter from the Theocracy." the King said, his growing excitement becoming visible

"My Lord, are you certain that she is from the Theocracy?" the angel asked

"Of course, I am! I only had one of my children escape my grasp, and it was the one in that woman, that is the only option." Malekith growled back

"My apologies."

"But those weren't Theocracy troops. It could be safe to assume she is acting on her own." the vampire pointed out

"Delta, did your insects find anything on their objective?" Malekith asked, looking at the humanoid insect which was currently feasting on the severed head

"My apologies, but we weren't able to get any information regarding their goal, most camera bugs were killed during the fights."

"Could it be that she is coming here? Since she seems to be acting on her own?" the vampire suggested

"She would be a full to come here with only those forces." Set pointed out

"Not necessarily, the ones known as Alucard, Talia, Touka and Nyx seem to have considerable strength." Raknoug said

"Considerable strength? Enough to match the four of you?" the King asked

"Perhaps."

"Don't be ridiculous! As if a group of ants could compare to the likes of me." Set growled

"Your ego will be your downfall, Set." the angel chuckled

"Be careful with what you say, Azrael."

"Now, now, guys there's no need for this." the vampire said, trying to calm down Set

"No one asked for your opinion, Ishmael." the Egyptian god hissed

"Enough!" Malekith roared

"My apologies."

"You say they will come here? What for?" Malekith asked Ishmael

"I don't mean to offend, but I doubt their intentions will be friendly. Given the circumstances she may be after you, my Lord." the vampire replied, to which the King gave a large grin

"Interesting, very interesting."

"Shall we stop them? Before they get too close to us." Azrael asked

"No. Let her come, let her enter this place out of her own accord, if she is the child of that woman and me she should be able to at least do that much. As always, I will leave the planning to you."

"As you wish." Azreal said, with a small bow

"Then go, all of you are dismissed."

* * *

Alucard, Zesshi, Clementine, Lottus and Sarya, watched as Nyx finished healing the elf siblings, they weren't restrained since they seemed to be cooperative, and with Alucard and Zesshi there they wouldn't be able to do much either way.

"I've finished healing them." Nyx announced, walking away from the elves and towards Alucard

"Good work, Nyx." Alucard said, patting her head

"Thank you."

"Now, you two. Are you interested in working with us?" Zesshi asked

"N…It isn't like we have a choice. The fact we were left here proves the King no longer needs us." Zeno replied

"But you do have a choice, you can leave. We won't force anyone to work with us." Alucard remarked

"I was told that your goal is to take down the King. Are you able of doing that?" Zeno asked

"I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do it." Zesshi said

"Are you serious?! Didn't you feel that power?" the brother gasped, surprised by her calmness

"Are you referring to Set?" Alucard asked

"Y-Yes. He is the strongest of the Elite, the Alpha Elite." Soora replied

"Is he a problem?" Zesshi asked, looking at Alucard

"Well… If I remember correctly Set was a top-level enemy back from where we came, he looks the same so assuming he has the same powers… He should be as strong as I am, more or less."

"Wouldn't that mean that the King, would be at your level as well?" the half-elf asked

"I guess that would be true, for Set to be serving him. Still, I wonder how he ended up here, and also a Sovereign Insect…" Alucard was interrupted by Soora

"We know the King created them, we don't know when but we know that the four strongest of the Elite were all summoned by him to this world."

"But for him to be able to summon Set, that would be near impossible with normal means." Alucard pointed out

"Is he really that strong?" Zesshi asked

"That's not it, he is a deity which means that he is unique, and that for him to exist in the world is something out of our hands. Every time he appeared back then, it wasn't something any of us could control. Which means the Elf King, if what they said is true, is able to bypass those limitations and summon such beings using his power. Making him one of the greatest, if not the greatest, summoner I have ever encountered."

"Does that mean we can't fight him~?" Clementine asked

"No. We just have to hope that he can't summon anything beyond Set or those similar to him. Still, does the King have some kind of item? Something that perhaps he uses when he summons his servants?" Alucard asked looking at the siblings

"He has the gauntlet! I heard that it is the representation of his powers." Zeno replied

"We know part of it was placed in Arryn's staff." Soora added

Alucard understood then why something like Set would have been sent in, if that staff was part of the King's power losing would be a problem for him. Since Set was the strongest of the Elite, Alucard found it safe to assume that perhaps he was the only level 100 NPC in the group, he was certain that the rest were also NPCs given the fact Raknoug was one too. Still the ability to summon Set should be impossible, if he wasn't wrong Set fell under the category of event bosses, which were ones that couldn't be found or summoned at any other time.

"What about the rest of the Elite, who are they?" Alucard asked

"A fallen angel named Azrael, and a vampire named Ishmael."

Alucard gritted his teeth, more event bosses, he had to admit the remaining Elite were an imposing group. For the King to be able to do this he had to come from YGGDRASIL, most likely some player that either went mad, or just wasn't that decent a person from the start, but was for certain a level 100, just like himself and Ainz, equipped with some unknown item. Things weren't going to get any easier being this the situation they were in, he had to be honest he wasn't expecting the Elf King to be someone like this.

"How troublesome." Alucard sighed

"I take it that they are strong." Zesshi remarked

"Yes. Those two should be an equal to you when you had your old equipment on. In Set's case, he would be an equal in strength, but given what I know of his personality he would have killed you."

Silence fell upon them as the reality of the situation settled in, Alucard knew this wasn't the time for morale to drop so he tried his best to lighten up the situation.

"Still, there is no need to worry. We have numbers, and my Brides are at a similar level to those two, so they can deal with Azrael and Ishmael in one-on-one combat."

"Still, to think he was that powerful…" Zesshi said, in a low tone

"That's why I say going after him is madness." Zeno said

"Maybe, but we have all agreed to do this, and none of us can go back without achieving our goal. That's all there is to it." Zesshi spat back, she looked unfazed by the grim realization

"Now, will you join us and help us take over the Elf Country? As you've shown us we will need all the help we can get." Alucard asked

"Y-Yes, I'll join you." Soora replied

"What, but Soora you'll get yourself killed." Zeno remarked

"But we have to do something! As it is the Theocracy is going to invade us and the King won't do anything about this. If things change perhaps we can also do something about the Theocracy's army."

"Don't worry about that. We also plan to deal with the war." Zesshi interjected

"If Soora's going, so am I. You can count us in." Zeno said, almost with a defeated tone

"It's good to have you two on board." Alucard said

[We've found Brain's possible location.] Touka announced via Message

[Open a [Gate] to your location.] Alucard ordered, ending the call

"They've seem to have found something." Alucard informed, Zesshi

"Alright people, everyone get ready we will be moving out soon!"


	49. The Mines of Tartarus

Brain lazily flickered his eyes open, he tried to move his body but was unable to do so, not bothering with that detail he focused on properly regaining his senses. He had a massive headache, especially in the back of his head as if someone had knocked him out, but he was unsure if that was what had happened. His eyes finally opened and he was finally able to see his surroundings, he was in a massive luxurious bed room, the beauty was on par with the things he had seen in Nazarick. He wasn't alone, his head slowly moved to the side to see what was holding him down, they were wearing outfits similar to those of Sebas, some were male while others were female, but both were undead. He could see them scattered around the room, about 10 undead butlers, looking to the ground in front of him he saw the 3 elves he was chasing they were dead, they looked like dried up husks of their former selves.

His eyes then went to the figure he had seen in the woods and mistaken to be Ainz, this figure wore an ancient red robe, his was slightly hunched over and had a staff it used as a walking cane. Still he could see the exposed skeleton head and bony fingers of the being, along with the glowing red dots in the empty eye sockets, Brain now understood why he may have confused him for Ainz. His attention then went to the side of the bed, there stood a true beauty, she wore a revealing and skintight outfit, that perfectly accentuated all her lines, he could only assume was made purposefully to get the attention of men. Her skin was slightly tanned, her hair was black going down to her shoulders, her eyes were exactly like those of Albedo yet seemed kinder than those of the Overseer, her body seemed to have been perfectly sculpted, neither too big or too small. She had cat ears and tail, the color of the fur matching the color of her hair.

Then his attention went to the person laying on the bed, it was female but Brain felt unnerved just by looking at her, there was something that disturbed him, something unnatural, unholy even. Her figure was pale, frail and extremely thin, if it wasn't for the slowly rising chest Brain would have assumed she was dead. Her raven hair was extremely long, as if it hadn't been cut in years, if ever, her eyes were exactly like those of the woman standing to her side, she wore a white dress.

"Move him." the skeleton ordered

The two butlers holding him in place began to drag him towards the bed, Brain trashed, squirmed, and kicked but it was useless, the servants were just too strong. He was brought to the woman with the cat ears, she took a moment to examine him and after a few moments gave him an almost seductive smile.

"This one is just brimming with energy, nya." she purred

"W-What are you going to do to me!?" Brain asked, still trying to free himself from the servant's grip

"I'm not going to do anything to you. Now, place him in position." the woman ordered, stepping aside

The butlers, brought him closer to the figure resting on the bed and kicked his legs so Brain was now kneeling nest to the bed. The emaciated form slowly began to move her left arm in the direction of Brain, feeling that something bad would happen if she got close to him, so he once more began to try and release himself from his captures.

"How bothersome." the robed being remarked, lifting his right hand towards him

Suddenly his body froze, not replying to his commands, the hand continued its advance hovering over his head before it simply dropped on top of his skull. He felt a comfortable feeling, almost pleasurable, his body seemed to be as light as a feather, however as much as he liked the feeling it was equally matched by the numbness he felt on his head, in the spot the hand was touching him. This feeling was followed by draining, his strength was quickly leaving his body, he thought of reacting but his body was completely relaxed, Brain couldn't move even if he wanted to.

"So much energy, this was such a great find. You should have brought the other one here too, nya." the cat woman pouted

"I need him." the skeleton said

"Fine. It's that she has more need for him than you do."

The conversation came to an abrupt end when the woman lying on the bed lifted her hand from his head, leaving a pale and slightly slimmed down Brain panting heavily, much to the surprised of the two-other present, she slowly began to lift as if pulled by some invisible string. She sat up and her eyes slowly moved around the room, they stopped on the robed figure, her eyes blinked slightly and the skeleton seemed to flinch in reply.

"Father, they will come for him. His friends." she said, her voice was smooth, yet cold and distant

"Y-Yes. There is a group near the entrance."

"I want to see the vampire he calls Alucard." she informed, further surprising those present

"B-But, Kaia isn't that too much of a risk?" the cat woman asked, approaching the woman in the bed

"But I want him, mother." Kaia replied, like a child asking her parents for a toy

"What should we do Mathius? She rarely asks us for anything."

"She only wants one of them… I guess I could let him through. But their power is unknown, from what we felt they could be stronger than even Kaia or me." the skeleton replied, motioning to Kaia

"But Kaia, says she wants him." the cat woman said, doing a seductive pose, to which the Mathius simply chuckled

"Your Succubus charms have lost their effect long ago, Thelsea." he remarked, to which the cat woman frowned

"You simply build up a resistance from prolonged exposure, nya."

"… I'll see what I can do. The fact they will come here is unavoidable… we'll just have to work around it." Mathius sighed, beginning to make his wait towards the exit

"What should I do?" Thelsea asked

"Stay here and make sure that one doesn't die. The servants will remain here just in case you need them, I'll make do with the rest."

"Good luck, nya."

* * *

Alucard and his group looked down into the pit, it led into a small underground cave, there were a few makeshift stairs which led to the surface, and several broken branches on the floor as if someone had fallen into the pit. Alucard's attention wasn't on this but where the entrance of the cave led to, it was a massive double door, the door was obsidian in color, with the demonic depiction of a goat's head decorating most of it, bellow it were a legion of men all carrying pickaxes.

"What is this?" Zesshi asked, looking into the cave

"This is…" Alucard mumbled, stopping his sentence midway

"Looks inviting~" remarked Clementine

"This is the entrance to the Mines of Tartarus." Alucard announced

"The Mines of Tartarus? How do you know that?" Zesshi asked

"It came from YGGDRASIL, just like Nazarick." the vampire replied

"T-Then do you mean that through there, there are others like you?" the half-elf asked

Alucard was silent, he was unsure, he remembered something about the Mines of Tartarus being taken by a guild, but he didn't know much else he didn't even remember the name of the guild. No, for some reason he didn't believe he would find much through that door, Malekith seemed to be someone from YGGDRASIL, perhaps he was a member of that guild brought here with the Mines.

"Talia, Touka, are you certain that the trail ends here?" Alucard asked, looking back at his Brides

"Yes." Touka replied

"It seems that the door has been used recently, from the markings on the floor." Talia added

"Then there's only one way to find out. We're going in." Alucard said

"Are you sure that is wise? Couldn't we be falling into a trap?" Zesshi pointed out

"Would it be better to leave Brain, and the elf refugees behind?" the vampire argued back

"We can't leave the elves behind!" Sarya spat

"And losing Brain would dwindle our number of fighters." Touka pointed out

"Fine. How do you suggest we do this?" Zesshi growled

"Sarya, Zeno, and Soora will stay here. Nyx will stay here as well, and keep guard."

"You're going to leave us here with a child!?" Zeno asked, shocked at the vampire's suggestion

"You're making a mistake to judge her based on her appearance. She is more than qualified to stay here and look over you." the True Vampire replied

"What should I do if we are attacked?" Nyx asked

"Deal with them accordingly."

"As you wish."

"The rest of us will go in. I and Zesshi will take the lead, we will travel in a triangle formation, with Talia on the left and Touka on the right." Alucard said

"What can you tell us about these Mines of Tartarus?" the half-elf asked

"I only know how it was like before it was conquered. The Mines of Tartarus had 5 floors, the 1st floor had no specific purpose outside of an entrance, in the center of the 2nd floor was a Throne Room used by the Mine's ruler, on the 3rd floor there were cells for the workers, the rest were the mines themselves. It could be very different now."

"Alright. Let's get going." Zesshi said, beginning to make her way down into the cave

* * *

Alucard followed her along with the others, it was Zesshi who pulled the massive doors open revealing the entrance to the Mines. The corridor that stood in front of them was dark, the floors were covered in dust and a few cobwebs hung from the ceiling, the only light illuminating was the one coming from outside. On the floor, there were drag marks and foot prints, showing that something had passed through recently, Alucard and his group took their first steps inside, in the distance they could see entrances to other rooms and old corpses, some were on the floor, others were leaning against walls.

"Follow the drag marks." Alucard said

They continued to make their way through the abandoned corridors, as they went through the noted scratch marks on the walls, dried blood and marks of what seemed to be explosions, most likely created by magic, they seemed to be marks of a battle. In the distance, they saw light coming from an opening to their left, arriving at the opening they found it to be stairs leading down to the second floor.

Arriving at the second floor, there was a visible change, it didn't look abandoned, there were lights illuminating every corner of the floor. Once more they didn't find any signs of life, this time they didn't see any lingering corpses, after a long walk they came across the throne room, it was a large circular room, with 3 entrances, the one they were at was right in front of throne. The throne was large and shaped like a goat faced demon, around it were 29 chairs which Alucard assumed would be used by the rest of the guild's member, with the guild master using the throne. Five of those chairs were occupied by skeletons, some were using monk like outfits others used armor, what they all had in common was that the equipment looked low level. On the throne was another skeleton, wearing an ancient looking red robe and held a wooden staff in its hand, however it was evident this skeleton was different, it was alive, it was an undead.

"That staff and robe, they are very similar to what Khajiit wore~" Clementine mumbled, voicing her inner thoughts

"Khajiit?" Alucard asked

"Y-Yes~ He was a member of the Zuranon~"

"Those are some good eyes you've got on you, girl." the skeleton chuckled

"From your appearance, you seem to be an Elder Lich." Lottus said, somewhat uncertain, to which the skeleton surprised them by slamming his fist against his armrest

"I don't appreciate when people look down on me! As much as I don't appreciate being associated with amateurs like those of Zuranon!" he growled, with hated filled words

"M-My apologies. It has been some time since I've properly interacted with anyone from the outside world." the figure remarked, having seemingly calmed himself

"You say that you don't like being looked down on, you said that because of what Lottus remarked. He said you were a Lich but you, in your own way, corrected him which means… You went beyond that state." Alucard said, causing the skeleton to laugh and the red dots in his eye sockets to glow more vividly

"B-But wouldn't that mean that he's a…" Talia began to say, but the True Vampire spoke over her

"An Overlord. That would be my best guess."

"Very good, very good. I must offer you my honest admiration, it seems I misjudged all of you. Indeed, I have long surpassed the form of an Elder Lich and reached the form only spoken off in legend."

"That sounds very interesting, but that isn't what we are here for." Zesshi growled

"I assumed as much. But first allow me to introduce myself, I am Mathius Dupree. Now, why are you here?" the Overlord asked

"We know that some of our people were brought here. A human and three elf refugees, where are they?" Zesshi asked

"I take it that the one that was fighting that human, wasn't one of yours?"

"No. But now that you mentioned it, where is he?"

"Dead, along with the other elves." Mathius replied, coldly

"The refugees were harmless, why kill them?" Alucard asked

"I won't lie to you, they were killed for sustenance…" Alucard interrupted him

"For you to feed on them?" the vampire asked, with a raised eyebrow

"No. I don't live here alone, and those that live with me need it much more than I do."

"Then why not kill the human?" Zesshi asked

"He said that people would come for him, powerful people. And that those people weren't that far away, that is why he lives."

"Then, we shall be taking him now." Alucard said

"Follow me. I shall take you to him. But I will only take you, Alucard." Mathius informed, getting up from his seat

"What about the rest of us?" Zesshi asked

"Remain here. We won't be gone for long." the Overlord replied

"So be it." Alucard remarked, going after Mathius who was already walking to the exit to their right

[Stay alert.] Alucard informed his Brides via Message

* * *

Alucard followed the Overlord, they went to the 3rd floor and Alucard was surprised by what he saw, it had been heavily altered from what he knew of the Mines. The floor was presentable, he saw no signs of the jail sells he had heard off, now it looked like a floor of a luxurious hotel and it was in immaculate condition. Mathius walked up to two large double doors, they were made out of wood, but given their presentation Alucard could tell that this was the best room in the Mines, most likely belonging to the guild master.

The door opened and they entered, Alucard immediately scanned the room there were 12 undead butlers, one woman with cat ears by the large bed, on said bed was another figure who seemed to be sleeping, and kneeling on the floor next to the cat woman was Brain. It seemed Mathius had taken some liberties with his story, and failed to mention why Brain looked so pale and weak.

"What did you do to him?" Alucard asked

"My men were in the process of killing him, before they were ordered to stop."

"I see."

[I found Brain.]

Alucard walked pass Mathius and in the direction of Brain, getting in front of him the vampire went to pick up the weakened human, which he assumed couldn't walk by himself given his appearance. A hand wrapped around his left wrist, since the hold had little to no power behind it Alucard looked at the bed, at the supposedly sleeping figure that rested on it. He went to pull away, when his body began to feel light, and warm, against his wishes his legs relaxed and he fell on his knees. His wrist felt numb and his strength was leaving him, he tried to react but the feeling that filled his body, had left him completely relaxed and unable to move as he wished to. The woman began to lift from the bed, like a puppet being pulled by its strings, before she sat up and looked down at Alucard, with an expression he could barely describe, it was a mixture of lust, happiness and some slight hints of fear.

"P-Power…So much power!" she hissed

* * *

Zesshi and the rest of the group stood in the Throne Room waiting for Alucard to return, when suddenly the exits were blocked by metal doors, however they were to slow for Touka's speed, she swiftly exited the room by the same one used by Alucard and Mathius.

"That worked out well~" Clementine remarked

"Still say we should have gone after them long ago." Zesshi said

"We needed to wait till after Alucard found Brain." Talia informed

Shortly after the metal door opened and Touka walked into the room, behind her they could see what remained of a corpse, an undead servant.

"There was a switch on this side. Come on, let's go." Touka said

At that moment the bodies sitting on the chairs got up, Talia quickly signaled the others to run towards the exit, one of the skeletons wearing armor lunged at her. In her eyes he was slow, so much so when he got close, she easily ducked under his axe swing, followed by hitting him in the chest with a punch and sending him flying into the others.

"Come on, Talia!" Touka shouted, she and the others were already on the other side of the door

Talia threw herself back, just as the 3 skeletons wearing robes began firing spells at her, spells she could see were at the minimum 7 tier, avoiding them Talia found herself going against something solid. Falling on the floor she looked behind her and saw that the door was closed, she couldn't hear anything from the other side of the door but failed, she tried to use [Gate] but it didn't work. While she did this, Talia jumped around avoiding the barrage of spells, if things weren't bad already the other two doors opened revealing a large group of undead on each side.

"Talia! Talia!" Touka cried out, hitting her hand on the metal door

"The switch doesn't work." Lottus pointed out

"Dammit!" the Bride roared in frustration, kicking the door which was left unaffected

"We'll deal with that later. If we were locked in there, Mathius must have a reason to separated us from Alucard." Zesshi pointed out

"Let's go." Touka said, giving the door another kick

* * *

Mathius walked back and forth in his daughter's room, everything was going unlike he expected, after all how could he have known one of them was fast enough to escape the lockdown.

"Is something wrong, nya?" Thelsea asked

"I only managed to catch one of them in the trap… All of you guard the door!" he ordered the undead servants

"They'll come here!?" the Succubus asked

"Eventually. I'll have to unleash our guards in the corridors."

"You'll destroy part of the floor!"

"I have to! Is either that or they get here." the Overlord argued back

"Fine. Just make sure she's safe."

"There is no need to worry. We haven't survive for more than 200 years to get taken down by these people."


	50. Not Living or Unliving

Zesshi, Touka, Clementine and Lottus made their way down the stairs to the 3rd floor, using the Ring of Bound they were able to discover Alucard's location. Going down the corridor that lead to his location, two doors opened one to the left and the other to the right, from within came a large group of undead forming a crowd of 15 in front of them, led by a 3-meter-tall behemoth.

"Could be worse." Touka remarked

"I think you spoke too soon~" Clementine said, looking behind them

On the opposite end of the corridor was another crowd, however it was made out of a much larger number of undead, which meant they were trapped. Undead on both ends of the corridor, of course they could go back up the stairs but their path was blocked by the metal door.

"Someone will have to hold them off." Touka pointed out

"Why? We can easily get through the ones in front of us." Zesshi said

"That won't keep the others from advancing." Lottus informed

"They're slow, we can get to Alucard before they reach us." Zesshi remarked

As if reacting to her words, both undead crowds began running in their directions, the group that was in front of them easily closed the distance between them, Zesshi took no time using her scythe to cut down the behemoth. Using her speed Touka, pushed her way pass the rest of the group, taking down 8 of the undead by herself and cleaning the path towards Alucard.

"You were saying? The rest will be on us soon enough." Touka growled, causing Zesshi to roll her eyes at her

"Fine. Let's take them down then."

"No. You go ahead, we'll deal with the rest of them." the Bride said, drawing two daggers

"Are you sure?" the half-elf asked

"Of course." Touka laughed, stretching her limbs

"Just go ahead, you want the fifth door to the right." she added

Zesshi turned around and began to walk back when something grabbed on to her leg, she looked down and saw half of the large undead holding on to her, that wasn't the strangest thing, the halves seemed to be melting and joining back together. Not wanting to be delayed, Zesshi brought her blade down on the half's wrist slicing through it and freeing herself, not wasting any more time Zesshi ran towards the room.

"What about us~?" Clementine asked

"That's easy enough to answer. We hold them back." Touka replied

Touka vanished in a blur and the next thing Lottus and Clementine saw was an opening forming in the middle of the large group of undead, she remerged behind the crowd without a single scratch.

"Come on, Lottus~ She'll make us look bad~" Clementine chuckled, attacking what remained of the smaller group

* * *

Mathius continued to walk back and forth, his servants were all placed in front of the door, it felt like an eternity since Kaia had started to feed on Alucard, yet he didn't see any signs of him running out of energy any time soon. The room door was pushed open, sending some of the servants flying into the wall as a result, Zesshi marched into the room her eyes went directly to a kneeling Alucard. Something went wrong, as she expected after it took so long for him to say anything and Mathius tried trap them in the Throne Room.

Lunging straight at the woman who had a hold on Alucard, Zesshi easily pushed pass the remaining servants, a woman with cat like ears tried to attack her but she was swiftly thrown into Mathius. She reached the bed and the one attacking Alucard, looked straight back at her and their eyes meet and a chill went down Zesshi's spine, there was something unnatural behind those eyes. The slight moment of hesitation was enough for the woman to reach out with her other hand getting a hold of Zesshi's neck, the half-elf's body relaxed and she dropped her weapon. She began to feel her strength begin to dwindle, using what power remained in her arms she brought her hands together, in what was a desperate attempt to free herself.

A golden aura slowly began to form around her, also swallowing the woman's hand, Kaia's expression began to change to one of pain, smoke erupted from her hand as the skin began to peel away. Kaia let out a pained filled cry, letting go of both her victims, she pushed herself away from them holding on to her injured hand, Mathius and the other woman got back up and looked at them.

"What have you done!?" the cat eared woman shouted, with hate filled words

She went to attack Zesshi but the room shook, to be more precise the entire floor shook, as the sound of a massive crash from above echoed through the area, something had fallen from the 2nd floor to the 3rd.

Touka, Clementine and Lottus looked at the rubble that buried what remained of the undead forces, amongst the debris there were the remains of several others, they recognized some of them as the ones sitting on the chairs. Standing on top of it all was Talia and Nyx, Talia had a few scratches and burn marks on her armor a result of her fight with the skeletons that inhabited the Throne Room.

"Alucard needs us." Talia said, with an empty tone

* * *

Using their superior speed, the Brides arrived at the room, the servants were scattered on the ground, Brain was also collapsed in a corner, Alucard was on his knees having visible problems to get back to his feet. Zesshi was on top of the bed, near her was a woman holding on to her hand her eyes were unfocused, practically kneeling in front of Zesshi was Mathius and a cat woman.

"What happened?" Talia hissed, walking towards Zesshi

"She was draining Alucard of his strength, I stopped her." Zesshi replied

"What about them?" Nyx asked, looking at the kneeling duo

"I guess they wanted to keep us away, so she could drain him completely."

"Y-Yes, that was the plan! But you have to understand…" Thelsea tried to say, in a pleading manner but was interrupted by Zesshi

"We have to understand nothing!"

Talia and Touka helped a visibly weakened Alucard back to his feet, while Nyx examined Brain, the True Vampire took a few uneasy steps, all the while Thelsea and Mathius tried to bargain for their lives.

"We had to do this, for her!" the cat woman cried out, motioning to her daughter

"I don't care!" Zesshi roared back

"But she needs them! She won't survive without them!" the Overlord spat back, losing control of his emotions

"That doesn't justify sacrificing people to her."

"Enough!" Alucard growled, as his Brides turned him around to look at the others

"Explain. If you want us to understand why you did this, explain." he said

Mathius and Thelsea shared an uneasy look, before looking back at Alucard, and the Overlord began to speak.

"Kaia, our daughter, is a…" he began, but the cat woman interrupted him

"Don't say that. You're talking about your daughter."

"I know that… She is an anomaly, a rare, if not unique case, of when mating between the living and the unliving goes wrong. As far as we know she is a being whose natural state is death…" Mathius paused

"… She can only live by absorbing other people's energy, other people's life. If not for that she will eventually die, waiting for the next person to be feed to her."

"Then that is why you did all of this? To give her someone with enough power to keep her alive?" Alucard asked

"To keep her alive for much longer than usual, regular beings can only sustain her for a few days to weeks." Mathius said

"Then this was a desperate move on your part. A desperate play to get her the strongest individual you could find… And I walked directly into it, like an idiot." Alucard sighed

"You shouldn't say that." Talia remarked

"No, he's right. He let the enemy bring him right to where he wanted him to be." Zesshi remarked

"What do we do with them?" she asked

"Nothing. We let them be, as long as they do the same for us."

"O-Of course! We will let you leave, whenever you wish. If you want to stay here we'll allow it, use whatever resources you need! Just please, let her live!" the cat woman pleaded, miserably

"Thank you…" Alucard said, pausing to know her name

"Thelsea."

"Are you ok with this, Overlord?" the vampire asked

"If it will be enough for you to overlook this, then yes."

"There are several rooms here, they are all ready to be used. Please feel free to do so, after all they will need time to recover." Thelsea said

"Then we will be making ourselves at home. Talia, Touka take Alucard to a nearby room. Nyx take Brain to another room and heal him first. Clementine!" Zesshi ordered, before shouting

Clementine, Lottus appeared shortly after by the open door, with them were Sarya, Zeno and Soora, all of them seemed tiered.

"What took you so long?" the half-elf growled

"We were dealing with the more troubling undead." Lottus replied

"We'll be keeping an eye on them, while Alucard and Brain are healed."

"But we submit!" Thelsea said, tears rolling down her cheeks

Zesshi gave Kaia a hate filled glared, suppressing the surprise of the woman's wounded hand being fully healed, she gritted her teeth to be honest she didn't care if what this thing did to Alucard was for survival, Zesshi wanted to hit her.

"Compose yourself. We can't just give everything to them." Mathius mumbled, so Zesshi wouldn't listen to him

"B-But…" the woman tried to argue back, but the half-elf spoke over her

"We aren't here to take everything from you. However, since it was offered to us, we will be staying here for a while."

* * *

Alucard woke up in a large bed, it surprised him that he was asleep since he didn't even remember going to bed, he must have fallen unconscious shortly after leaving the room. Pushing himself up, Alucard looked around the large room, which was easily bigger than his but that wasn't difficult. To the right of the bed was Zesshi, his Brides, Clementine and Lottus, he assumed the rest had other things to do and Brain must be resting, since he felt awful after what happened.

"You idiot." Zesshi said, chopping him over the head

"I guess I deserved that one." Alucard remarked, robbing his head

Zesshi went to give him another one, but Talia stopped her mid motion, the half-elf's eyes darted towards the Bride and shrugged lowering her arm.

"You should have been more careful." she opted to say

"I-I guess I should… I think my mind still hasn't settled since…" Alucard fell into silence, while rubbing his forehead

Zesshi looked at the vampire, and for a moment he looked pathetic, it pained her greatly to the point she found that no matter how angry she felt, her worry outgrew it. Slowly she places her left hand on his shoulder, it felt somewhat awkward since Zesshi had never been the best at showing her emotions or feelings, but his expression worried her and she wanted to show this to him.

"Aren't you being too lenient, Zesshi~?" Clementine asked

"What do you mean?" Zesshi growled back

"Seems like Alucard made a mistake~" Clementine chuckled

"Hold your tongue." Lottus mumbled

"No, she's right. I was too busy trying to get Brain back as soon as possible, that I didn't give much thought to anything else." Alucard said, continuing to rub his forehead

"Perhaps you should rest." Talia suggested

"P-Perhaps…" the vampire sighed, lowering his head

"We'll let you rest then." Zesshi said, in a low tone

Everyone left the room, letting Alucard lay back down on his bed and let out a loud sigh, a single tear rolled down his face and he grabbed on to his sheets with a firm grip. He cursed himself, he cursed his weak mind, and he cursed the burdens that he had for so long kept locked away deep inside him. He thanked Arryn for forcing him to face those burdens, still he gritted his teeth, he had been foolish and accept that the fight hadn't mentally affected him, that he could go on without rest.

"You idiot…"

* * *

Zesshi stood in front of the closed door, she wondered if she should open the door and ask him what was happening, she thought something was wrong since his fight with the Elite, but she had concluded that it was just her imagination. Her thoughts came to an end when she saw something approaching her from the corner of her eye, it was Kaia she was using the wall to support herself as she walked towards her, the half-elf gritted her teeth and decided to ignore the woman, turning to walk away.

"Wait." the woman spoke weakly

"What?" Zesshi growled back

"I wish to speak with you."

"About what?"

"You are Alucard's lover, correct?" Kaia asked, to which Zesshi blushed slightly

"T-That is none of your business… How do you know about that!?" the half-elf asked back

"When I feed on him, and to a lesser extent you, I saw his memories. I saw the time you've spent together, I am…curious."

Zesshi looked at her stunned, the situation had gone from unpleasant to awkward, it was as if this woman had no idea how to interact with people. Especially asking about her time together with Alucard, just thinking about it made the heat rise in her body, she was insane if she expected Zesshi to say anything.

"I have been in this world for almost 200 years, during that time I have only spoken with 2 people, my parents. Any other being was brought to me as food, and I don't have the habit of speaking with my food, however you are not food, then perhaps we can speak."

"I don't mind speaking with you, but…" Zesshi began, but Kaia spoke over her

"I do not understand why Alucard is with you, I saw his memories, his thoughts at the time but I don't understand. Could you explain it to me?" Kaia asked, with an empty tone cocking her head to the side

"I-I don't k-know… But you can't just ask people that!" Zesshi remarked

Kaia stopped and looked at her, Zesshi didn't like the woman's eyes, she felt insignificant in those eyes, still she could see the curiosity that was also present in them. Could she really be that socially inapt that she had no filter, or didn't know how to go about things.

"You don't know…" Kaia mumbled, examining the half-elf's body

"You're beauty isn't greater than hers… Could it be because of his feelings… because the other reminds him of his pain…" Kaia continued, speaking as if Zesshi wasn't there

"Who are you talking about? What pain?"

"Talia, the vampire one, not long before you disclosed your feelings to him, Talia did the same. However, hers had more emotion behind it, more… love. I wonder why he chose you."

Zesshi felt her chest tighten, yes that was a good question, why would Alucard chose her over Talia. Certainly, he would be happier with a woman that would obey his every wish, his every whim, someone that in this situation wouldn't call him out on his mistake but support him.

"W-What do you mean, by pain? Is Alucard in pain?" she asked

"The pain of those he has lost, as a human…" Kaia was cut short when the door opened and Alucard emerged

"You have said enough." Alucard said

"Did I say something wrong? I merely wanted to talk, after all I never get to meet new people." Kaia said, sounding genuinely surprised by the vampire's aggressive reaction

"I understand that you are lacking when it comes to social skills, but that doesn't excuse divulging other people's memories."

"I see… It seems I have made a mistake… I should offer my apologies." Kaia said, as if processing all the information she had just received

"T-There's no need. Just leave." Zesshi said, showing no signs of real anger

"Yes… It seems I am in the way of something." Kaia remarked, looking briefly at Alucard before turning to leave

"What was she talking about? What pain?" Zesshi asked, looking up at him

"Please come inside we should speak in private."


	51. The Life of Jack Briefs

Zesshi entered the room, Alucard closed the door behind her and made his way back to the bed, still uneasy on his feet, the vampire took a seat on the edge of the bed and motioned her to seat on a chair next to it. The half-elf oblidged, as she walked towards the chair she could help but feel how heavy the air was, the look on Alucard's face was a completely new one, he was visibly unsure, it transmitted loss and weakness. Emotions that in her mind didn't belong on his face, someone like him shouldn't have a reason to look so lost, so weak.

"A while ago, you asked me if I had always been this strong. At the time I gave you a empty answer, ignoring what you really wanted to know. Now, after being with you, I want to ask you a question. You told me that you used to say that if a man could defeat you, you would marry him… I wonder if we would be together if it wasn't for my strength."

As he spoke, the vampire kept his head down not bothering to make eye contact with Zesshi, his tone was flat and emotionless. He went silent and Zesshi knew what he wanted to know, and knew what the answer was, no they wouldn't be together, they most likely wouldn't have meet if he wasn't as powerful as he was. Zesshi's lips opened slightly, just to close back up, she couldn't say those things to him, there was no need for him to know that, after all she was sure if he asked deep down he already knew her answer. What mattered was the present and that, Zesshi felt her chest tighten as the thoughts took form in her mind, she would be by his side whatever happened.

* * *

Zesshi's thoughts came to an abrupt end when the door opened, the new comers were the Brides, not knowing why they were there the half-elf was readying herself to tell them to leave and not to interrupt their conversation.

"I called them via Message. Come in, take a seat." Alucard said, gesturing to the other chairs scattered around the room

Touka closed the door, they each picked a chair and placed it closer to the bed so they would be facing Alucard, all of them noted the expression in their creator's face, it was strangely serious, it showed them that the situation was grave.

"Given current events, and in an effort to clear my mind, I will now share with you my story. All of you, except Nyx, have in one way or the other been exposed to the truth. And to avoid any further problems, I will tell you everything, however what I tell you here must never leave this room. Is that understood!?" Alucard growled, his eyes glowing slightly as they moved from woman to woman

"You have my word, that we will not tell anything to anyone." Talia replied

"I won't tell anyone." Zesshi replied

Alucard gave them a mechanic nod, he looked at them, his mind arranging his thoughts, his memories, for a moment his fatigue vanished and he entered a state of great focus. Everything that he had to say became clear, there was no reason to lie to them, especially after what Talia and Touka had seen, however there were a few things he would have to alter, for their sake.

"…My original name is Jack Briefs, and I was a human."

Silence fell upon them, Talia and Touka kept a composed yet unnerved expression, both Brides thought back to what they had seen, they had considered the options the Elite had created some kind of metaphoric hallucinations and the only reason Alucard reacted to them was to free himself from them. Now they knew that was only wishful thinking, Alucard himself had confirmed their other impossible theory, the Supreme Being had at one point been a human.

Nyx blinked her eyes a few times, and then looked at the other 3 women, did they understand his words better than she did? Their expressions didn't transmit that, however her sisters did seem to be the less shocked out of them all, what had she missed when had they seen something she hadn't. That wasn't important, Alucard a human? The idea went against everything she thought she knew about the Supreme Beings, about her creator.

Zesshi froze, surely it wasn't impossible for a human to be turned into a vampire, however for one to become this powerful it wasn't a simple transformation or ritual. The way he spoke was enough to take that idea away, there was something else, that must be the reason he was making such a big deal out of this. Her mind cleared and she went back to what he has talked about before, had he been weak would things be the same as they are now, he must have meant had he been human would she be with him, certainly not.

"I was born on the planet Earth, in a realm different from this one, or YGGDRASIL. I was born into nothing, thrown into the streets along with several others, I was homeless and nameless, a simple afterthought."

The Brides suppressed the urge to dismiss him saying such things about himself, it was unfitting of a Supreme Being, but now wasn't the time for them to interrupt Alucard.

"However, we were of possible use to some people, abandoned children presented the perfect opportunity to recruit soldiers, we had no family, no lives to put at risk, we were clean boards for them to write on. Some left before I had my opportunity, we actually used to bet on who got the luck of leaving that day… When my time came, I was taken to this large house, I was presented to a man called Bartram Briefs, the man that I would end up calling Father and the one that gave me my name."

"T-That man…" Talia mumbled

"Yes, he was my father figure and mentor, the man who trained me for the job I would, then, one day fulfill."

"T-The man, who was unfazed by your outburst." Touka said, surprising both Nyx and Zesshi

"He was already in his 40s when he picked me up, by that time he was already a veteran, even after that he didn't stop, made everyone younger than him look bad. We all thought he would die in the field, on a mission… instead he passed away in his sleep… Point is he was hardened, to the core, not many things would make him flinch, not even monsters."

"My life at the time was relatively simple, I woke up, eat, trained, eat, trained, eat, had some free time to relax, slept and woke up once more. This every day, for many years, till finally I was sent in my first mission, I was successful and was placed into a team named Silver Eagles. My job there, and after that, was to do whatever was asked of us, being it simple things, things that only we were skilled enough to do, or the missions that would brand us as criminals if we failed. While on this team 2 things happened, one I met the first woman I had ever loved…" Alucard paused, as his attention momentarily went to Talia

"Her name was Talia Levett, and she was part of the Silver Eagles…"

"T-Then what that woman s-said was true?" Talia asked

"Yes. Her image was what I used as a base for your creation… it was a way to show how much I liked having her on my side, since she wasn't there with me in YGGDRASIL."

Talia gave him several slow nods in reply telling him that she understood what he was saying, internally she didn't know what she should feel. Part of her was happy that she was based on her creator's first love, perhaps that in some way had influenced her feelings for him, but Talia knew her human counterpart was dead, which meant that when he looked at her Alucard was reminded of her death. The Bride restrained her hands not to move them up to her face, perhaps that was why he had chosen Zesshi over her, he couldn't bear showing affection to the face of a dead woman. Talia quickly pushed away those thoughts, she could be so selfish as to think of herself during a time like this, she needed to fully devote her mind to Alucard.

Zesshi couldn't help but ogle at Talia and more than ever wonder why Alucard had chosen her over Talia, someone who seemed to love him without waver and was equal in form to his previous lover, certainly he would want to be with someone like that.

"The 2nd thing was YGGDRASIL… But before that I need you all to understand that my original world was one where things like magic, monsters, and resurrection were nothing but fantasy. We had different way to go about things, we used science and technology, it was a method that ended up sickening the planet, however it was also through those advances that our scientists found a new world."

"A world where what we saw as fantasy became reality, a world known as YGGDRASIL. It was a new world we could explore, outside of the fact we humans weren't built to survive in that world, because we were too weak and our bodies weren't adapted to this new world's rules…" Alucard said, being interrupted by Zesshi

"When you say weak, how weak were the humans in your world?" she asked reluctantly

She looked at Alucard, who gave her a weak and playful smile in return, followed by a loud sigh as he stretched his back, letting out a small laugh.

"The strongest human in my world, we the best gear and weapons we had for him to use, would still be an afterthought for any of you…"

"T-Then that means…" Talia mumbled, almost horrified

"That any of you, on your worst day, could have easily waved me away without a thought."

Zesshi held back a crazed laugh, such a transformation was beyond her imagination, for someone to go from a weakling to being able to rival the gods, should be near impossible. Even she, she was the daughter of a powerful godkin, everyone she knew that was strong was born with the potential. There was no one who was born with nothing and grew to such level of strength, yes, they could be fantastic warriors but nothing on a level worthy of consideration.

The Brides were in shock, before them was one of the last Supreme Beings, their creator, the only being they saw fit as to stand in the position mortals gave to gods, and such an existence was now telling them he could have been easily destroyed by any of them. It attacked, their already weakened, beliefs to think that the Supreme Being was at a time an ant, the thing they saw as an easy win.

"Back on topic. To be able to explore this world, we were given bodies that were made to be able to survive in that world, bodies made to our liking and that could evolve in strength, the mind would be placed in that body, and the body would be sent to YGGDRASIL."

"Is that why the Supreme Beings wouldn't always be there? Why Alucard, left from time to time and went on his business trips?" Touka asked

"Y-Yes. I did return to my original body, sometimes because I had missions to go on." Alucard replied

"I continued to advance in my career and was allowed to create my own unit, which I was the Commander of, they were the Black Hounds. I managed to get some people I already knew to join it, some were my friends, others were recommended to me, amongst those people was Talia…"

"Everything was going smoothly, we were one of the best units doing the jobs we did, that was till I made the wrong choice and 6 of us died, i-including Talia…"

Alucard fell silent, as his hands went up to his head going through his hair, the vampire let out a breath and lowered his head once more. Zesshi looked back at Talia, was that the reason, why he had not chosen Talia over her, because it pained him to be reminded of the love he once felt, the love that was forcefully taken from him. Her eyes widened, was that the pain Kaia had mentioned, the pain of those he lost, the pain brought about by those that were killed by his mistake.

It was something she didn't understand as she had always been nothing but a soldier and had never been placed in the position of leader, even now the one that was truly in control of their group was Alucard. Something else came to her mind, in their first night, Alucard had said that he was a soldier just like her, it wasn't a lie, but not true either, since he was not a soldier like she was, he was a Commander, in the eyes of his military he was much more qualified than she was.

Once more the Brides were taken aback, for a Supreme Being to so openly admit to have committed a mistake wasn't an option, yet Alucard continued to shake their notions and how their perceived their superior.

"I didn't take it well… I took some time from my work, spent a lot of time in YGGDRASIL, Touch Me helped me a lot during those times, but in the end not even that worked. I spend some more time by myself, when I went back to work I stepped down from my position as a Commander, and limited myself to being just a regular member of the unit."

"Is that why you want me to be the one to be the face of the leader in this group?" Zesshi asked

"No, that is because our enemies have to believe that you are the one that holds the power, and that we follow you."

"One day it happened, from our guild only I and Ainz were in YGGDRASIL, when we were transported to this new world, inside these bodies, along with Nazarick and its denizens." Alucard said, finishing his story he waited for someone to say something

* * *

Nyx took in everything Alucard had said, she was fascinated by the story he had told them, it had never crossed her mind that her creator had had such a life, truly she would have never imagined a Supreme Being going through such hardship, and much less being a weak human. That was the most troubling thing, he had been a human, a human from a completely different world from YGGDRASIL, still that was not a problem. Why should it be, he was the creator, whatever is name or race was in Nyx's mind it didn't matter, he was her creator, her father, that was all she cared about. It would be insulting, if she decided to change how she viewed him because of this, it hadn't matter till now, it wouldn't matter after this.

Nyx jumped off her seat, catching the attention of her sisters, Zesshi and Alucard, the small vampire looked at her creator and ran at him, she hit him full force wrapping her arms around his neck in the process. Alucard did his best not to fall back, replying by placing his own arms around Nyx, who took the opportunity to borrow her face into his shoulder, when she finally moved back to look at him she spoke.

"I don't care if Alucard is a vampire or a human, if he's weak or strong, if he's a Supreme Being or not. As long as Otō-san stays, I don't care." she said, with a delightfully childish manner

Alucard placed his hand on her head, warmly patting her head, his weak, saddened and overall pitiful expression, was now bright and fatherly. He was so relieved the first reaction was so positive, he could only hope the rest would react in the same manner, it wasn't impossible for someone to react negatively. His main concerns were Talia and Zesshi, the one's that he believed to hold him in the highest regard, in one way or the other.

Touka looked at how Nyx reacted, and couldn't help but agree, no her devotion to him reinvigorated. After all his story was so cool, to think that their master, was not only a great warrior in YGGDRASIL, but also in his original world. That in that world he was amongst the elites, as she would no doubt expect of him, this only showed her why he was who he was, why he was so cool, and why she would never regret being his subordinate.

Nyx took her seat, and Touka got back to her feet almost immediately, the Bride straightened her posture as best as she could and did the same salute that she had seen the members of the Black Hounds do, much to Alucard's surprise.

"I am honored to serve under you, my creator. There would never be anyone else, not even amongst the Supreme Beings, that I would prefer to serve." Touka proclaimed, with a mischievous grin

Alucard gave her a playful smile back as he got back to his feet, another good reaction he was happy, he straightened his posture and saluted her back, letting his arm fall to the side soon after.

"At ease, soldier."

"Yes, sir." she said, going back to her seat

"A-Alucard…" Talia managed to speak, her face painted with unmasked doubts

"…M-My apologies!"

Talia rushed back to her feet, gave him a quick bow and ran out of the room, both Alucard and Touka called out to her but got no reply, and if that wasn't enough Zesshi also rushed out of her chair and exited the room, seemingly to go after Talia.

"I should go after her." Touka said

"No, let her be. You two are dismissed, go and get some rest."

"Are you sure?" Nyx asked

"Yes. Now go and rest, you've both earned it."


	52. Acceptance

Zesshi managed to track Talia down to one of the more isolated parts of the floor, the Bride had driven herself into a corner, she was now facing the wall while Zesshi was looking at her. The half-elf stared down the Bride who had yet to turn around too looked at her, honestly, she when she saw that everyone was reaction to Alucard's words individually, Zesshi had considered walking out too. Lucky for her Talia did so herself which gave her the opening to leave the room as well, given the fact she needed some room to think.

"Why did you follow me?" Talia asked, turning to face Zesshi

That was a good question, why did she go after Talia? Zesshi couldn't help but look at Talia during much of what Alucard said, Talia was based on Alucard's first love, from what Kaia said Talia had openly proclaimed her love for him, in her mind it made sense for him to want to be with her. Talia was the perfect mate, she was devoted, obedient, and beautiful, so why would Alucard chose her, was it because she looked exactly like the Talia he lost, the one he lost because of his mistakes, perhaps. Zesshi admitted to herself that she felt the feelings she felt for Alucard being rocked by what he revealed, she was attracted to many things in him, but the thing that had made all of this possible and pleased her greatly was his strength, his power. She now questioned those feelings, knowing that he had once been a human and from what she understood, the fact he was now in this body didn't seem to be something he had decided.

"I-I saw your reactions to what Alucard said, I think out of the 4 of us, we were the ones most affected by it." Zesshi replied

Talia shifted slightly, raising an eyebrow at the half-elf, indeed she had been affected only because of her unbecoming feelings for her creator, and the fact she had yet to properly process that she had been modeled after his first lover.

"What of it? This doesn't concern you." Talia remarked, straightening her posture

Zesshi gritted her teeth, feeling light rage go through her body, one had to admire how Talia was able to put up such a composed façade even when it was obvious she was distressed. Now it began to annoy Zesshi, how the Bride did this even when it was obvious she should drop that façade and let out what is tormenting her.

"You know I really hate this side of you." Zesshi growled, causing Talia to raise an eyebrow at her

"You can keep yourself as composed as you like. Have you ever considered dropping the role of Bride, and just be yourself and speak your mind?" she added

The air suddenly became heavier, unfiltered anger began to spew from Talia all of it directed towards Zesshi. Talia was furious at her words, Zesshi dared think that she was able of such selfish actions, to let go of her duties and prioritize her own wishes, she couldn't do it, there were other things that need to be prioritize.

"How can you even ask such a thing of me!? For you my role may look simple, but it is not something I can put aside. It is my duty to always be there for Alucard, he cannot be troubled by my personal concerns." Talia growled back, to which Zesshi rolled her eyes at

"That doesn't matter right now. You ran out of that room because what Alucard said affected you and you know it. Since you aren't able to openly speak your mind, you took the cowards way out and ran. If you think that is in any way helping Alucard you're wrong, that will only help in hurting him..."

If Zesshi had anything else to say, it was abruptly stopped, as Talia slapped her with her right hand, the strength of the blow being enough to send the half-elf staggering a few feet backwards. She looked back at Talia, the Bride had her teeth clenched and tears were steadily rolling down her cheeks, it was the same cry as before, the same silent cry from the other time Talia had slapped her.

"Y-You have no right… S-Someone as… blessed as you, has no right to judge me!" Talia shouted, her voice filled with new found ferocity echoing through the corridors

"You accuse me of running away, then why are you here? You also ran away from that room."

"I-I didn't run away, I came to find you!" Zesshi argued back

"Don't lie. Do you think I didn't see how you looked at me, while Alucard spoke? You saw how it affected me, and I saw how it affected you."

Zesshi rubbed her sore cheek, all the while making sure her jaw was still in place, she almost regretted having pushed Talia, but she did admit it could have gone worse.

"I assume the fact Alucard used to be a weak human made you question your feelings?" Talia asked, surprising Zesshi with how much she had put together

"Do not look so surprised, someone as shallow as you is easy to read."

"I-I'm not shallow!... I mean, yes… maybe…" Zesshi sighed defeated

"Yes, I admit that in the beginning what attracted me was his strength. I mean, it was such a unique and frightening feeling, to be able to know defeat." Zesshi said, with a whimsical tone

"But as time went on I couldn't help but think of him, he was so different than what I was expecting, he was so kind, so friendly. Unlike any superior I had ever come across, he actually listened to what I had to say, it was almost as if we were standing on equal footing. But above all of that, I knew that for the first time in my life there was someone who understood me."

Zesshi soon noticed that she was also crying, using her hands she cleaned most of the tears, and she started to laugh weakly, the strange display causing Talia to give her a confused look.

"How ridiculous. To think that a simple h-human could ever be able of understanding me." she said, continuing to chuckle

The air that was still thick slowly return to normal, as did the raw emotion Talia was projecting towards Zesshi, the area once more became breathable. Talia watched the display, it felt real, she doubted Zesshi was able to put on an act like this, which meant these were her true feelings towards Alucard.

"Do you love him?" Talia asked

Words escaped the half-elf's throat, it was a word she had never said to him, or he had said to her, to be honest they had never addressed what they felt, they knew something was there and acted accordingly, but it had never been named. Kaia had briefly mentioned this, that when Talia revealed her feelings to Alucard, she did so with more emotion, more love, most likely that could mean Talia had used that word.

"W-We've never said those words, b-but I think that y-yes I love him." Zesshi replied, her face turning bright red

"I see…" Talia said, just to be interrupted by Zesshi

"But I know that you love him too." the half-elf informed, sending Talia into a visible state of shock

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"There is no point in hiding it. Kaia saw some of Alucard's memories when she feed on him, one of them being when you told him how you felt."

"Alucard chose you, it was his decision and I accept it, such is my duty." Talia said

The Bride's words infuriated Zesshi, Talia had gone back to her role of Bride, she thought of a quick way to get around this, after all this was another one of the reasons she had come looking for Talia.

"B-But I don't!" Zesshi spat out, surprising both herself and Talia

"I mean, I don't understand why he would choose me over you. I think that overall anyone would be happier with someone like you, than with me."

"Why would Alucard be happier with me? A servant who has stood so low as to develop feelings for her master, someone who would willingly question him and speak over him because of her feelings. And most importantly a woman who reminds him of the pain of having lost his first lover, every time he looks at her. No, such a woman wouldn't make him happy at all." Talia said with a grave tone, her hands going up to her face

"B-But wouldn't he want to have you by his side because of that? To love that body once more."

"Do you think of me as a replacement? I will do no such thing, the body may look like hers but the mind is my own, Alucard is perfectly aware of that. It is shallow to think he would be happy with just loving a body."

"When you told Alucard that you loved him, how did you do it, what did you say?" Zesshi asked, in a desperate attempt to understand Talia's feelings, it was a thing she needed to do

"I-I don't see how that is important."

"P-Please, tell me. I have to know, I need to understand this… because if I don't I feel like I stole him away from you." the half-elf said, with a desperate expression

"I-I told him that I loved him…" Talia paused, she blushed slightly, and a warm smile formed on her face

"That I loved him, respectfully, unconditionally, even if it killed me."

Zesshi felt her heart tighten, she had expected something that would completely overshadow her confession, but this was too much, such pure love, Alucard was an idiot for not having accepted her, every man dreams of someone like this. Talia was now crying openly, between the abundant tears and sobs, the Bride looked terrible and Zesshi was unsure of what to do. She slowly approached Talia, thinking of some words that could help defuse the situation but nothing came to her mind, without thinking she noticed her arms were slowly rising towards Talia.

Zesshi closed the distance between them and awkwardly placed her arms around Talia, even if the hold itself was a cold one, she felt the vampire give into it, closing whatever distance remained between them and resting her head on Zesshi's shoulder. Tightening her arms around Talia, doing her best to mimic what Alucard use to do with her, Zesshi embraced Talia in a real hug.

Alucard was an idiot, how could he have dismissed these feelings? Feelings that Zeeshi saw as being better than her own, built on something than her initial fascination for his power. There should be a way to clear things up, Talia seemed to be an emotional mess and Zesshi decided that she had to find a way to clear her mind, after all it was for the best of the mission. Releasing her hold on Talia, Zesshi grabbed on to the Bride's left hand and began to walk, pulling Talia along with her.

"Come with me." she said

"W-Where to?" Talia asked, using her other hands to wipe away her tears

"Alucard's room, you two have to talk about this."

"N-No, I can't trouble him with my feelings once more." Talia protested

"I told you to drop it. You have to speak as yourself, and not his Bride."

Talia was about to say something back, but let the words vanish from her mind, allowing Zesshi to drag her back to her creator's room.

* * *

Arriving at the room, Alucard was laying on his bed, still recovering his strength when the duo entered the chamber, causing him to quickly sit back up. Zesshi closed the door behind her and continued to pull Talia till they were in front of Alucard.

"Your faces are a bit red, have you two been crying?" Alucard asked

"Come on." Zesshi said, motioning Talia to say something

"W-What do you mean!?" Talia asked, not understanding what Zesshi's intentions were

"Tell him how you feel."

"But she has already told me." Alucard spoke, not understanding what was happening

"Then how could you send her away, even after she poured your feelings to you?" Zesshi protested

Alucard looked at Zesshi and then at Talia, who seemed to be as perplexed as he was, the True Vampire was completely lost at what the half-elf's intentions were. Was she asking him why he didn't reciprocate Talia's feelings, if so why? Was she surprised and wanted to know why he chose her over Talia? Above all else why would she bring the feelings of another woman up, when he decided to be with her?

"Please do not listen to her ramblings." Talia said

"You can't go back on it now! If you let me drag you here, certainly you agree when I said you have to speak with Alucard, as yourself and not just his Bride." Zesshi spat back

"Is that so? I'm free to hear whatever you want to tell me Talia." Alucard informed, gaining the two women's attention, as he got up from the bed

Talia fidgeted shyly, should she say something, but what would she say, she had already told him how she felt, however that failed and she was dismissed. Zesshi had told her to speak her mind, but should she do it, should she once more force her wishes upon her creator.

"I-I… I want to be with Alucard-sama." she mumbled

Alucard looked at her redden figure, then his eyes moved towards Zesshi, trying to understand what she was trying to achieve with this.

"What do you mean, Talia? You will always be by my side." he remarked

"A-And I am very grateful. But… I want to be able to be with you fully, p-please allow me to be with you… as she is." Talia said, looking at Zesshi

Alucard looked at his Bride's face, she looked lost and her voice was one of someone pleading, it pained him to see her make such an expression. Had it been before his fight with Arryn it would have been bad enough, but now that his memories of the original Talia had been brought back to the surface, such a sight was unbearable.

"Alucard, perhaps she should clear her head. It won't help any of us if she continues the mission with her mind in this state." Zesshi pointed out

Alucard raised his arms and placed his hands on Talia's shoulders, rubbing them softly, his expression turned into a warm and understanding one, in his best attempt to recover Talia's usually composed look.

"Zesshi's right, you need to take a break and rest." Alucard said

Zesshi rolled her eyes and nonchalantly threw herself at Alucard, taking the vampire by surprise she placed her arms around his neck and using her weight sent him into the bed. The half-elf raised her upper body, so she was now sitting on top of Alucard with her left hand on his chest, like she was riding him.

"You said that when I take the mantel of Queen, I may need to choose a King. Then when I become a Queen, you will be my King, and I'll allow you to have her as a mistress." Zesshi said, pointing back at Talia

Alucard went to say something but Zesshi stopped him by placing her left index finger on his lips, on her face was a smile that depicted her newly found confidence. The True Vampire frowned and his lips curled into a mischievous smile under the pressure of her finger, his right hand wrapped around her left wrist moving it away from him, and his left hand went under her chin.

"I-I will take my leave then. I don't wish to disrupt you any further." Talia said, taking a small bow

"Don't run!" Zesshi growled

The half-elf pulled away from Alucard, grabbed Talia's left wrist with her left hand, went behind the Bride and placed her right arm around Talia's waist, so she wouldn't try to leave.

"Let go of me." Talia hissed

"Alucard come now, why don't you help her clear her mind?"

Alucard sat back up in his bed, was she really suggesting for him to sleep with Talia, he sighed and slipped his left hand through his hair.

"Zeeshi is there any point to this?" he asked

"Yes."

Zesshi pushed Talia and the Bride clumsily stumbled into Alucard, so she was now the one sitting on top of him, the Bride now visibly flustered tried to distance herself from her master, just to be stopped by the half-elf.

"Where are you going? Isn't this what you want? Don't you want to be true to yourself, to be selfish for once in your life?" Zesshi asked, appearing behind Talia, before directing her attention to Alucard

"And you, just look at her? Don't you want to ease her feelings? Can you honestly say that you are unable to reciprocate her feelings, when you were able to reciprocate mine?"

"That's not it!" Alucard argued back, Zesshi laid to her right

"Is it because she reminds you of her? Then look pass that, it may not be easy, but we can do it." Zesshi remarked, to which Alucard raised an eyebrow at

"We?"

"Yes. The three of us, right here, right now." she replied, with a mischievous smirk

Talia slowly moved down, towards Alucard, her head went pass his reaching his ear, as she spoke, using something comparable to a whimper.

"W-What should I-I do, A-Alucard-sama?"

Alucard's arms went around Talia's waist holding her closer to him, he moved his head slightly so he was now whispering into her ear.

"Are you waiting for instructions, Talia?" Alucard asked, to which the Bride slowly nodded

"My apologies, but there will be none."

"T-Then what would you like me to do?" Talia asked, lifting her head so their eyes would meet

Alucard placed his left hand on her cheek, her skin was unbelievably soft and strangely hot to the touch, her face blushed further at the touch, Talia's body quivered slightly. It was as if time had stopped, like there was nothing else but Alucard and Talia, she was so beautiful, just like Talia had been, the touch was so familiar, yet so foreign. Tears began to silently roll down his cheeks, as he felt himself being overwhelmed by memories and raw emotion, in the moment he was unable to contain himself and mumbled.

"My Talia…"

Talia let out an audible gasp, was she allowed to be this happy, to me as blessed as to share such a moment with her superior? Yes, it was as Zesshi had said, she had the right to be selfish from time to time, now was that time. Talia hesitantly lowered herself towards him, meeting no form of resistance, she continued till their lips met, and as if a gate being opened, she poured all of her emotion, all of her love into the kiss.

Momentarily, Alucard found himself overwhelmed by the raw intensity behind her actions, it took some effort on his part to match her, but eventually he was able to do, soon enough they were sharing one of the most passionate kisses he had ever had in his life. Feeling her courage grow from the exchange, Talia soon began to use her hands to travel Alucard's body, her motions still slow and calculated, she was unexperienced so she was doing her best not to do something that could displease Alucard.

Zesshi, now sitting on the bed, felt the heat permeate through her body, her hands reduced to traveling her own body in search of the comfort normally provided by Alucard's touch. Biting her lip, she used the moment Alucard and Talia parted lips to make her move, she pushed Talia aside, causing the Bride to fall onto the bed, and wrapped her arms around Alucard.

"You've warmed her up enough, for now. Now, it's the time to do the same for me, I'm starting to feel a little left out."

"You should have known the risks when you had this idea." Alucard remarked

* * *

The sounds of love making echoed through the area, informing everyone else of what was happening in that room. Brain was still deep asleep, resting from having his energy drained so he missed the entire thing. Touka was in the room chosen by the Brides, using her hands to cover Nyx's ears, all the while cursing how lucky Zesshi and Talia were.

Lottus was in his room, trying his best to ignore the awkward sounds, suddenly he heard someone knock at the door followed by it opening. Looking to see who it was, Lottus was horrified when he saw Clementine's perverse face emerged from behind the door.

"Want to have some fun~?" she asked, her tone was heavy and sultry

"Why ask me?" was the first thing he managed to say, still processing the situation

"The door to his room is locked~"

"Y-You… You, unsightly fiend! Leave now! And take that animalistic depravity with you!" Lottus roared, marching towards the door

"Is that a no~?"

"It is." he replied, closing the door in her face

* * *

Mathius and Thelsea were in Kaia's room when the noise began, both of them felt relieved to see that their guests seemed to have accommodated themselves into their home easily enough, and that they already seemed to be busy with other things. However, Mathius couldn't help but be concerned on what effect this could have on Kaia, after all she wasn't that used to meeting new people, so he feared this may be to taxing for her. Also, he couldn't ignore the stares Thelsea had been giving him, since the noise started.

"Yes?" he asked her, with a calm tone

"Want to have some fun? It feels like ages since the last time we did it, nya." the Succubus pointed out

"C-Could you refrain from saying such things in front of our child!?" Mathius remarked

To this Thelsea simply closed the distance between them and whispered something into the place his ear would have been.

"Do you want to show them how it's really done, nya?" she purred

Before he could say anything, both of them were caught by surprise by what Kaia said.

"I wonder if they would let me watch." she mused

"K-Kaia, please don't think of say such things." Mathius said, flustered

"But I am curious, I only know of these things from memories, I want to see how different it is if I watch it myself. And I'm also curious to know how it works between 1 man and 2 women." Kaia informed, showing no visible signs of fluster or shyness

"They grow up so fast." Thelsea chuckled, taking a seat next to her daughter

"But you must be patient, I'm sure that one day you'll be able to learn everything you want about this, or any other, subject." she added


	53. Difficult Relations

The room was a complete mess, as if a fight had taken place inside, equipment was scattered all over the floor and the bed had understandably collapsed. Alucard's eyes flickered open, his spend body groaning under the pressure of his movement, his body was in a similar condition as the other time, covered in bruises, scratches, and bite marks, just like Talia and Zesshi. His eyes finally opened fully and went to Talia's head, the Bride was asleep on top of him. Alucard went to touch her with his right arm but found it bound, looking down he saw Zesshi who was also asleep and with her arms wrapped around his.

Letting out a weak sigh, Alucard went to move his left arm but was also restricted, looking up he saw, and remembered, that it was connected to the bedpost with the aid of the bedsheets. To his left was also something else, something that almost made him jump in surprise if not for his wish not to wake up the two women, Kaia was in the room with her, kneeling next to the bed, with her eyes glued on them.

"Hello." she greeted, her attention directed to his and Talia's naked bodies

"W-What…How… Why are you here?" Alucard hissed, keeping his tone low so as to not awake the others

"I was curious, and my parents weren't there. So, I decided to come here." she replied, her eyes going back to Alucard's face

"That doesn't excuse the fact you shouldn't be here… I doubt your parents would be pleased to see that you came here, without permission."

"But you were so loud, I couldn't help but get curious. I just wanted to learn more about this subject, I only have memories to go on." Kaia explained, showing no clear signs of emotion

"I-I admit we were a little loud…" Alucard said, but was interrupted

"Very loud." she corrected

"Either way, this is not something you should learn about by watching people!"

"I can't ask you about it?" Kaia asked, cocking her head to the side

"No. And lower your tone, or you'll wake them up."

"But why can't I ask? Is it really that taboo?"

"…Have you never talked about this with your parents?"

"I have, but never to this extent or that often. This is the first time I have had so much information regarding the subject before me, and I would like to learn more about it." Kaia replied, her eyes going back to their naked bodies

"Are the injuries normal?" she asked, letting one of her many questions slip out

"N-No, not really. But don't try to change the subject, you need to leave." Alucard growled

"Then you're not going to answer any of my questions?" Kaia asked

"I'm not. It just isn't the right away to go about this."

Before Kaia could say anything, the door opened, she looked to see who it was, and Alucard moved his head has best as he could to see the new arrival, it was Thelsea. The Succubus entered the room, closing the door behind her, on her slightly reddened face was a mocking smile.

"How unlucky for you." she chuckled, looking at Alucard, who raised an eyebrow at her

"If I hadn't perfect control over my Succubus nature and libido, you might be in trouble, nya." Thelsea added, turning her attention to her daughter

"There you are. Why don't you give them some room to recomposed themselves and come with me?" she asked, causing Kaia to get back to her feet

"But…" Kaia tried to argue, but her mother stopped her

"I understand your curiosity, however this is not how you go about things. I've already told you, in time I'm sure you will be able to learn everything you want. And have someone to learn it with."

"… I see. I apologize, for my behavior." Kaia said, looking back at Alucard before leaving the room along with her mother

The sound of the door closing echoed through the room, shortly after Talia began to move slightly, probably being brought back from her sleep, moving too much to her right she rolled off of Alucard, dropping to his left. The Bride continued to move lazily, till she finally seemed to wake up, with still half opened eyes, placed her left hand on Alucard's right shoulder, and with her right hand pushed her self towards him, so her head with resting on his chest.

"Good morning." Alucard said

"Good morning… Perhaps I should apologize for my unbecoming behavior? I did a lot of indecent things and…" Talia said, just for Alucard to speak over her

"No need to apologize. Did you enjoy yourself?" Alucard asked, with a large smirk

"Y-Yes." she replied shyly, her cheeks turning crimson

"Keep it down…" Zesshi groaned, lifting her head from the bed, her mischanneled hair covering her face

"Good morning to you too, Zesshi." Alucard chuckled

"Morning." the half-elf yawned, resting her head on Alucard

"Why are you asking if she had fun?" Zesshi asked, fixing her hair as best as she could and looking up

Alucard and Talia both looked in the same direction, their attention falling on the bedpost that Alucard's arm was connected to, causing the True vampire to let out an awkward laugh, while Talia's blush grew bigger.

"If she wasn't having fun, I don't think she would have restrained you like that." Zesshi said

"I-I guess you have a point." Alucard remarked

"Well I enjoyed myself, did you?" the half-elf purred, passing her hand through Alucard's cheek

"I did." he replied, biting playfully at her hand

"But weren't you too greedy, Zesshi?" Talia asked, getting the half-elf's attention

"How so?"

"You payed too much attention to your own needs, and neglected Alucard's…"

If Talia had anything else to say, Zesshi obviously had other plans, giving the Bride an outraged expression, she lifted her head exposing her neck, and pointed at the nastier looking bite mark.

"I'm greedy!? Then what do you call this!? If I remember correctly, you were the one getting greedy with my blood!" Zesshi growled back

"T-That's…" Talia tried to argue back, but she wasn't given time to do it

"Honestly I thought you were planning on sucking me dry." Zesshi frowned, to which Alucard let out a weak laugh

"What are you laughing about?" she asked, looking up at him, just to understand what had happened shortly after

"You pervert!" she spat, playfully hitting him in the shoulder

"I-I wasn't being greedy! I may have gotten a little too excited." Talia remarked

"Too excited? That's rich… Guess that's the same excuse you give for hogging…" Zesshi stopped as her face went red, and her eyes moved towards Alucard's lower body

"I didn't hog anything! Perhaps, Alucard simply favors me over you." the Bride argued

"Don't make me laugh!"

"Zesshi please, calm down. This is hardly a topic worthy of discussion." Alucard pointed out

"But you are not disputing it then!?" she growled back, surprising Alucard

"Hold your tongue, Zesshi." Talia growled, her tone turning serious

"Calm down, Talia." Alucard said, with a warm tone patting her head

"I have nothing to say about this "topic", I favored no one." the vampire pointed out, causing Zesshi to frown

"Then how do you explain, she was on top of you when she fell asleep?"

"That was not favoring. That was…" Alucard tried to explain, but Talia spoke before him

"You tiered out. So, I had to finish what you couldn't."

Zesshi gritted her teeth, and Alucard gulped, he had seen that face a few times, it meant she was about to take on a challenge, he feared it would drag him into the mix.

"You say I tiered out?"

"Yes." the Bride replied

"Then let's put that theory to the test. This time no blood sucking." Zesshi informed

Her hand darted towards Alucard's lower body, flinching at her intentions and seeing what she was suggesting, Alucard pushed himself back, way from her hand, so he was now sitting on the bed.

"We are not going to do this." he said, leaving Zesshi with a dumbfounded expression

"B-But…"

"But nothing. We don't have time for your childish antics." Talia remarked

"Talia's right, we have to get ready for what's coming." Alucard said

"Fine."

"Just so the two of you know we can't do this all the time, or we may run out of healing supplies faster than we expected." Alucard said, materializing some healing potions

* * *

The trio exited the room and unsurprisingly there were people waiting for them outside, Clementine, Lottus, Brain, Touka, Nyx, Zeno, Soora, and Sarya. Sarya seemed to be doing her best not to make eye contact with the trio, Soora was pratically hiding behind her brother, while Zeno looked everything but amused. Brain looked like he was lost in the middle of the group, Lottus's face was covered by his mask, Clementine had a huge grin on her face. Touka had mocking smile on her face, while Nyx stood next to her with a somewhat lost expression.

"Something happened?" Alucard asked

"Zesshi and Talia are so lewd~" Clementine chuckled

"What did I miss?" Brain asked, leaning towards Lottus

"Just be silent. You too Clementine." the Lich growled, before looking back at Alucard

"My apologies. I was unable to control her."

Touka nonchalantly closed the distance between herself and Talia, getting close to her older sister, Touka playfully hit Talia in the shoulder.

"So lucky!" she whined

"I…Indeed." Talia said, with a happy smile

"You've got to give me the details!" Touka said, excitedly

Talia gave her a panicked look, her eyes went to Alucard and Zesshi, the half-elf simply shrugged, while Alucard tried to help her.

"Come now, Touka, there's no need to pressure Talia. I'm sure she will tell you what she feels comfortable telling."

"As you wish. But I'm not giving up." Touka remarked, walking back to Nyx's side

"Why are the rest of you here?" Zesshi asked

"We and Sarya were practically dragged here by Clementine." Zeno replied

"I wanted to apologize for getting us all into this mess." Brain replied

"No need to apologize. We got through it well enough." the half-elf said

"Indeed. I'm glad you are all feeling at home here." a new arrival said

All eyes turned to the source, Mathius was making his way towards them, using his staff to aid in his walking, his eyes moved lazily from person to person, till he finally stopped not too far from the group.

"Well, perhaps some are feeling too much at home." he remarked, looking at Alucard, Talia and Zesshi

"If I remember correctly, Thelsea said we could do as we wished." Zesshi pointed out

"Indeed. Now, I wonder if Alucard could come with me to the floor below us, there is someone who wants to talk with you."

"Can't you give me any more details? Because given recent history, I'm not sure if this is not another trap." Alucard remarked

"I'm not that foolish, as to attack you when you hold the life of those I hold dear in your hands. As to who you are speaking to, it prefers to be the one to make the introductions."

"Why does Alucard have to go down there to see it?" Zesshi asked

"Because the being in question cannot be moved from his location in the 4th floor."

"W-Was it here before you arrived?" Alucard asked, to which the skull seemed to smile at

"Indeed, it was. It was here when the Mines of Tartarus first arrived in this world." the Overlord replied, he seemed to be getting more excited as the conversation went on

"So, you know the name of this place?" the vampire asked

"Among several other things. But, I believe that telling you anything else may make the visit to the 4th floor unnecessary. Will you go?"

"I will. Please, lead the way."

"Are you going alone?" Zesshi asked

"You, and Talia will come with me. Anyone else?" Alucard asked, looking around

"Zeno. It wishes to see someone like you." Mathius said

"Why me?"

"You were close to the Elf King." the reply, seemed to get everyone's attention

"Don't look so surprised. Remember that Kaia, is able of seeing the memories of those she feeds on. By feeding on both Alucard and Brain, we now know what brought you people here."

"Then you want to assist us?" Zesshi asked

"No. But that doesn't mean we can't help you get a better understanding of what you will have to face."

"Why? What do you gain by doing this?" Alucard asked

"Take your pick. I personally go with the possibility of receiving more knowledge of the other world. The one waiting for us downstairs will be pleased with having someone to speak to, who is from that world."

"Lead the way." Alucard said, motioning Mathius to walk

The Overlord walked pass the ground and soon those chosen joined him, Alucard walked to his right, and the others were just behind them.

"What should I be expecting?" Alucard asked

"A massive plant." Mathius replied, pointing at the glowing orbs that were placed in the spots where the wall meets the ceiling

"Do you know what those are?"

"I thought they were light sources." Alucard replied, and the Overlord laughed weakly

"No. They are part of it, yes they are used illuminate, but their true function is to be its eyes."

"B-But those things are all over the place!" Alucard gasped, looking around

"It's "limbs" reach every floor, except the 1st floor, but that was upon my request."

"Does that have anything to do with how the 1st floor looks abandoned?"

"Yes, so we don't get any unwanted attention."

"What about the damaged caused by unnatural causes?" the vampire asked

"Once more I won't be the one to tell you, but I will tell you this. When we arrived, the damage was present in the other floors, I had all of it reconstructed."

They continued to walk, Alucard from time to time looked at the Overlord, he was curious to know about how this Overlord came about. Their information had mentioned Elder Liches, but not Overlord's, for all he knew Mathius could be unique in this world, that and his relationship with a Succubus was also interesting.

"If you don't mind me asking. What's your story?"

"That's a rather personal question, why should I answer?"

"Because the eyes of a Kloid, are used for seeing and listening. And I know that there were some in my room, which means there is a pretty good chance you heard everything that was said in there." Alucard replied

The Overlord stopped, and looked at the vampire, once more he seemed to form an amused smiled, before he resumed walking.

"You keep surprising me. But I guess a man as experienced as you are, will have a keen mind."

"I do my best."

"Very well, I take it you are interested in my relationship with Thelsea as well?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Not at all. But I can imagine people being interested, in how a Succubus ended up with a pile of bones. Very well, I will tell you."

* * *

Malekith stood in front of the window that illuminated his bedroom, in his hand was a glass with a yellowish liquid, in the bed were about 3 female elfs, the only reason they were still there was because he hadn't bothered telling them to leave. Standing near the door was a poor elf giving the King the latest report on the war, it was a boring and tiresome subject, one that never changed, to the point every report was starting to sound the same in his mind. The short version was that they were losing, to be more specific the elves were losing, Malekith thought this as he had yet to do anything against the Theocracy.

"That's enough. You bore me with your reports." Malekith said, motioning the messenger to be silent

"But, please your Majesty, listen to me! If we don't change our current course of action we will lose this war, and the Theocracy will exterminate us!" the elf pleaded, accidently raising his voice to the King

"I guess that you, like all the others, want me to use my might against them?" Malekith asked, turning to face the messenger

"Y-Yes, please your Magesty. It's what we need if we are to turn the momentum of this war around."

"You speak of war, yet you are here, time after time delivering me these pointless reports. Why are you not fighting in the front lines? Are you that weak? Did you not receive any of my strength?" Malekith growled

"N-No, I haven't. I-I share no blood connection to you, your Majesty. And I was considered too weak of body to fight, but strong of mind…"

The messenger's words were cut short by the King's laughter, however more laughter came from the other side of the door. It opened and the most beautiful figure the elf had ever seen entered the room, it was Azrael of the Elite, the door closed behind her, while she continued with her mocking laugh.

"What a precious boy. Your spirit is appreciated, but if the King want's a strong mind, he asks me." she informed, passing her hand softly by his cheek

"Why are you here?" Malekith asked

"I wanted to deliver our report. I apologize for coming unannounced, my Lord." the angel replied

"Report."

"They have yet to move from the Mines."

Malekith shifted slightly, if she didn't tell him anything else, it must be because that was all she had to say, it angered him. Why were they still there, there was nothing of use in those Mines, had they perhaps fallen in a trap because of the security system, but that should be impossible, he had made sure of it. Even if he hadn't, certainly she should be strong enough to get pass whatever feeble defenses the Mines could put up against her.

"I see. Keep me updated, if they take too long, I may just have to force them out of there." the King hissed, downing what remained of his drink

"As you wish." Azrael said, with a bow

"Dismissed. And take him with you." Malekith said, motioning to the elf

"Take him with me? In what capacity?"

"He is no longer needed." the King's reply horrified the messenger

"N-No longer needed, but I've served you faithfully your Majesty!" he pleaded

"I don't need the services of weaklings."

"May I take him to Set? I think he needs something to play with, that isn't his servants."

"Do as you wish, I don't care."

Before the messenger could say anything else a large golden array formed under him and Azrael, light shot up engulfing them before they vanished.

* * *

The 4 strongest of the Elite were each given a personal chamber under the capital, it had an entrance which was something akin to a throne room, and an adjacent room which they could personalize. Azrael and the elf appeared in the middle of Set's throne room, it was dark and mostly Egyptian themed. Like all of the Elite he had several servants, which were elves, or prisoners, the King no longer had use for, which meant almost anyone could end up as a servant of the Elite.

Set's slaves mostly sat near the walls on the sides of his throne, with 3 of them staying near the seat itself, one presenting something for him to drink, the others waving large fans to keep him cool. However, they all knew this was not what he wanted from his servants, he wanted playthings, he liked to toy and break them, after all in his eyes, all forms of life were but ants.

"Greetings, Alpha."

"Why are you here?" Set asked, pushing one of his servants aside so he could get a better view of the angel

"I brought you a new plaything." she informed, motioning to the frightened elf

"W-What!? No!"

The panicking elf spun around and clumsily tried to run towards the large entrance door, after taking a few steps his body froze, as if restricted by some unseen force.

"He is weak. Weaker than the ones I have here." Set growled, his eyes glowing with a bright green

"Isn't everyone weak in your eyes?" Azrael asked

"My eyes are fair, as they see everyone equally. As ants to be crushed."

"Except. For our Lord."

"Indeed."

Azrael vanished shortly after, using the same means she had used to leave Malekith's presence, Set continued to looked at the frozen form on the floor, it was a pitiful thing. It would be better to kill it, it was only the merciful thing to do, after all it couldn't do any better. The glow in his eyes intensified, and the elf went into a frenzied scream, his now freed body trashing wildly, as if it was burning from the inside out.

"I am now shredding your nervous system into a million fibers." Set informed

After a few seconds of the terrifying scene, it came to an end, the glow ceased and Set leaned back once more in his throne.

"Get him out of my sight."


	54. The Ascension of Mathius

Rosevale City was a rather small city in the middle of nowhere, it didn't have a large population compared to others since given its location many were prone to leaving, and with the ever-present threat of the Evil Deities the wish to leave became greater. That was Rosevale City around 205 years ago, before the disaster that turned it into an empty and abandoned husk.

The night was especially dark, with a storm hovering over the town, rain and the occasional bolt of lightning fell upon it. She had never enjoyed the rain, it messed up her hair and fur, the feeling of it falling on her exposed skin was also irritating, walking silently from shadow to shadow, she found a slightly opened window in the 2nd story of a house.

It seemed to be a single house, so she shouldn't expect to find too many people, it wasn't like she would have trouble handling them but she didn't like to have too much to do. And with a small group of people to handle, it meant she would be able to enjoy her meals more. Using her claws the woman climbed up the wall, stopping just below the window she looked inside, the room was a small office. There was a large bookshelf, a desk with a lamp on top of it, amongst other things, the lamp being the only source of light in the room, on the only large chair was a figure. The figure wore a red robe, that covered its entire body, except for its bony pale hands, the left arm rested on the armrest, while the right hand held a wooden staff, she felt little life force coming from him, which meant he wasn't going to be a good meal.

Not seeing any threat in being seen by him, who to from her point of view seemed to actually be asleep given his downed hood covered head. Opening the door, she elegantly entered the room, shook herself trying to get rid of the excess water, and began to make her way towards the closed door.

"Why are you here?" a tiered male voice asked

Turning around she saw the robed figure move, he slowly lifted his head to look at her, his fingers tightened further displaying how truly thin they were, when his face came into view she could finally examine it. It matched his hands, incredibly thin and sickly looking, his sunk in eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, yet seemed to have any real life behind them.

His eyes carefully examined the intruder, she was beautiful, without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, it wasn't like he had seen that many, or that they would ever waste any time on him. Her skin was slightly tanned, much of it was revealed by her skintight outfit, her hair was shoulder length and black, like the fur that covered her cat ears and tail. Her eyes had golden irises and vertically split pupils, that glowed slightly in the dim light.

"I'm hunting for my next meal." she replied, with a bored tone

"Then why did you ignore me?"

"There isn't much an old man can do is there? Even as a meal, you are nothing but a light snack."

It was as if the frail man completely transformed, his grip on the armrest and staff, the weak features of his face were injected with new found life, pure rage, it fueled the fiery stare that filled his eyes, if she wasn't as powerful as she was she might have been scared.

"You dare compare me to some old man!? Then you are as ignorant, and as foolish as any human! Are you so blind, that you cannot understand that this emaciated form is the result of some diseased!" the man roared, before raising his left hand towards her

The cat woman vanished in a blur, reappearing in front of him shortly after, her right hand wrapped around his left wrist forcing his arm to the side, while her left went over his mouth silencing him, as she got a closer look at him. It seems like he was telling the truth, focusing her senses she could see that his life force was indeed diminished because of some ailment, in truth he should be around 50 years old. As she held him in her hands, is miserable life just a slightly motion away from ending, his eyes didn't give up, the rage and ferocity was still there, so much so she was surprised he had yet to try and fight back.

She couldn't help but bite her lip, he was so frail, who knows if it was any other human he would be dead, but this ferocity, this will to live, kept his weak body moving. Letting go of the man, she seductively walked back to the spot she was occupying before getting close to him.

"Should I apologize, for my offense?" she asked with a playful smile

"Do not mock me, demon!" he hissed back

"A cute demon don't you think, nya?"

Using her Succubus charms there was no form for any man, especially a lowly human, to resist her, however this one seemed to be rather strong willed, so it should be interesting to see how he would react. Soon enough she could already see the effects on his body, the small subconscious movement, his breathing began to get heavier, he wanted her and she was sure of it, after all he was just as weak as the others.

"Y-Yes… A c-cute demon." he mumbled, beginning to lift himself from his seat

"Eager, are we? Then, come now come here, and show how cute you think I am.

"Y-Yes... I will show…"

The man stopped his rise, violently placing his left hand up to the side of his head, she had do to her best so as to not let her lips curl into a grin, he was resisting his primal carnal instincts, how amusing.

"I-I see a Succubus…" the robed figure growled, dropping back to his seat, regaining a hold on his senses

"What's wrong? Don't you want to have some fun, nya?" she asked, cocking her head to the side

"Don't look down on me! I am not a weak-willed fool, that can be overwhelmed by his urges."

"No, no you are not." the Succubus remarked, taking a seat on the floor

"Still took you some good amount of effort to regain control over your senses. Well, allow me to introduce myself, I am Thelsea."

"Mathius Dupree. I see that you are quite amused, however I fail to see how your failure could be in any way amusing." the man pointed out, to which the woman frowned

"Hardly a failure. I say that meeting such an interesting human, is enough of a success, nya"

"Praise? From a minion of the Evil Deities, I wonder what to say in reply." Mathius mumbled

"Former minion. I grew bored of them, and the monotonous destruction…" Thelsea informed, just to be interrupted by the man

"And the fact they are facing real resistance. I'm sure even your kind fears death."

"Not as much as your kind." Thelsea retorted

"Indeed. Well, you will find that the people in this building, have a certain fascination with death."

"There are more people in this place? Why didn't anyone come to help you, when you shouted at me?"

"We are members of Zuranon, and I am, was, one of their leaders. The ones outside are my subordinates, completely loyal to me, and respect me for the same reason the rest of the Executives fear me…" Mathius replied, just for Thelsea to interrupt him

"Why's that, nya?"

"Power. I am the strongest human in the society, when it comes to magical power. Only surpassed by some of the Liches in the society."

"You're powerful? I wouldn't have imagined it given your look, nya." the Succubus chuckled, earning her another anger filled glared from the man

"… By human standards yes, which I'm sure your kind doesn't appreciate… You said you were looking for a meal, correct?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind if I gave you something to feed upon?" Mathius asked, his lips curling into a grin

"Do you understand what you are saying? Do you know how I, a Succubus, feed, nya?" Thelsea asked, with a mischievous expression

"Control yourself, demon. As you can see my form is rather limited, of course I am able of great magical feats, however I would be able to do none of it without the proper knowledge. That is why I am offering you this free meal, for the knowledge I will receive on your kind. You see I heard that Succubus tend to mate with their food, in order to actually take what they need to survive. I would like to see if this is true, as I have yet to actually see it, I'm sure you understand?"

"You humans truly are a perverse species. Either way, I will take that free meal, make sure he is suitable."

"Orthos! Get in here."

The door opened shortly after, and another robed figure entered, his face covered, the robe was dark in color unlike Mathius, Thelsea assumed it was because this man was an underling.

"How may I be of service?"

"Get me one of the prisoners, he must be male, and well of health." Mathius instructed

"And appealing." Thelsea added

"As you wish, sir." Orthos took a bow, and left

"I didn't give you permission to speak with my subordinates." Mathius hissed

"I made a perfectly reasonable request. I'm sure you enjoy eating a meal that looks as good as it tastes, nya."

It took around 10 minutes for the servant to return, he entered the room and with him brought the chosen prisoner. He was wearing ragged clothing, he had tanned skin, a well-built body, long and messy brown hair, and deep black eyes, his hands and feet were restricted with chains.

"Is he good enough?" Mathius asked

"Indeed he is." Thelsea replied, jumping back to her feet

"You did good, now leave."

"Thank you, sir." Orthos took bow, and left

"Now, go ahead and dig in."

Mathius leaned back on his chair and observed the "feeding" process, it was a rather crude procedure and in no way seemed to deviate from what he had heard off. The Succubus seemed to want to get some reaction out of him, it made prolonged eye contact with him from time to time, he had to admit she was persistent. From what she had said she was bored, which drove her into this situation, it appears he was enough to catch her attention, meaning if he could keep her interest she might be useful. When Thelsea was done, she pushed the body aside, fixed her close and hair, going back to her sitting position.

"I'm done." she proudly announced, stretching her limbs

"I see. Orthos, you can take the body back and ready it for conversion."

Orthos entered the room, with another robed figure, one grabbed on to the arms while the other grabbed on to the legs, followed by carrying the body out of the room, and closing the door behind them.

"Was that what you wanted, nya?"

"It wasn't too different from what I had imagined." Mathius replied, sounding less than interested

"You imagined it, how naughty, nya. Was it hard for you to watch, all the while I did my best to charm you in?"

"It was difficult, but not impossible." Mathius replied, with what seemed to be a confident smile

"A man who can think with the head on his shoulders and not with the one in between his legs, even in a situation like this… Indeed, this meeting, was a worthy venture."

"Have I caught your interest?" the man asked, with an amused expression

"Do not get too full of yourself. But you have, I might actually return here from time to time." Thelsea said, making her way back towards the window

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. Or do you want me to stay, nya?" the demon asked, with a mischievous smirk

"I would like to make you a proposition. That is if you agree to stay here, and help me with my plans." Mathius informed, causing the woman to stop and look at him

"What are these plans?"

"Did you notice what I told my subordinates? To prepare the body for conversion." the man asked

"You seem to give me too little credit. I understand that one might see as simple minded, when they look at me, but someone like you should be able to see pass that."

"And I do. I was just making sure."

"Then, what are these plans of yours?" Thelsea asked

"This sickness of mine has limited me for too long. I plan to get rid of it and ascend to a higher level of being. A being beyond sickness, or mortality, an Elder Lich."

"You plan on turning yourself into a Lich? It would get rid of the disease, but wouldn't it worsen your position with your people?" Thelsea asked, to which Mathius laughed

"As if I care what "my people" will think of me. As long as I am free from this form, I'll be satisfied."

"But won't that just give the Zuranon another reason to come after you? Even after you become an undead, if they do fear your power, they should continue to chase you."

"Yes… But I can easily escape their forces. Even as a Lich I wouldn't be able to fight against all of their forces."

"Is that why you want me to stay? To fight against them?"

"No, that would be a waste. But you may yet have the chance of fighting them, however that comes later. By conversion I mean turning that body into an undead, for this ritual to work I need greater numbers of undead."

"How many?" the demon asked, the robed figure gave her a disturbing smile in reply

"This whole city worth of corpses."

Thelsea gave him a mocking smile, slowly approaching him she went around his chair, now standing behind Mathius, she leaned down and whispered into his ear.

"Is that why you need me? To slaughter this city in order for you to turn this every man, woman and child into a walking corpse?"

"Yes, amongst other things. Someone of your power should be able to do it."

"You caught my interest so I will be staying. However, if you want me to go around slaughtering people, or doing simple chores, you will have to repay me."

"What does a demon like you wish for payment?" Mathius asked, looking back at her

"You said you had prisoners, even if you didn't. I simply want a meal per task." the cat woman replied, placing herself in front of him

"That is easy enough to do."

"Then… Where do I begin?"

* * *

The days passed, Thelsea found herself incredibly bored during most of the time, outside of chores given to her by Mathius, which she easily completed, there was nothing else for her to do. Outside of her reward, the rest of the day would be spent doing nothing, so she decided to follow the frail man around, and as time passed he became more bearable, to the point she could say he was decent company.

Below Rosevale City was a network of tunnels, all connecting at a central chamber right under the center of the city, it was in that chamber that Mathius had chosen for the ritual to take place. Making her way through the dark tunnels she reached the chamber, in the center was a shrine with a large red crystal on top of it, the red robed figure was doing other meaningless preparations when she entered the chamber.

"I have returned." she announced, stretching her body and limbs

"Your meal will be presented to you shortly." Mathius informed, focused on his work on the shrine

"That can wait…" Thelsea remarked, causing him to look at her and interrupt her

"Is that so? What has brought about such change, in your usual behavior?"

"Now, I'm more interested in this crystal. The one you showed me was smaller, and clear colored." she replied, circling the shrine

"Because those are empty, with no energy in them. This one is full, ready for when the ritual begins."

"There are more of those clear crystals?"

"Yes. There are 4 of them, for each compass point. They have already been placed."

"Sounds fascinating." Thelsea remarked, with a small yawn

"I don't expect someone like you to understand the glory behind these crystals. They are my life's work."

"So, you created them!?" the demon gasped, her curiosity renewed

"In a sense. The original crystal is of natural origin, yet it was created under conditions where it would be more malleable by magic influence. I was fortunate to get my hands on it. I broke the 4 smaller crystals off from this one, and infused them with the necessary magic for my plan to work."

"Clever. Almost too clever for a human."

"That mentality will be your downfall, you still think too little of humans. Even when some of the forces that oppose your kind, are human." Mathius pointed out, the Succubus simply ignored his comment

"But isn't it the same with you? Don't you also look down on humans?" Thelsea asked

"In my own way, yes. However, I understand that they deserve more credit then what you give them."

"What about your report? What do you have for me?" Mathius asked, going back to his work

"People from Zuranon are on their way to the city, they should arrive here tomorrow night."

"How many of them? Anyone of note?"

"I saw 10 like the ones that serve you, but I believe that there are more. I also saw one wearing robes like you…" the demon was interrupted by the man's crazed laughter

"A member of the Twelve Executives coming after me directly!? Fool!"

"There was also one in a black robe, I only saw his back but…" once more he spoke over her

"They are truly desperate to get to me, so much trouble for one sick man… Laughable. Are you sure there was only one of them?"

"From what I saw, yes."

"So be it. If they are desperate enough to send in a Lich, it means we can't delay the ritual for much longer."

"What if they arrive while you're performing the ritual?"

"Then I'll just have to play my trump card." Mathius replied

"Me?"

"Indeed. Or is it too much to ask."

"Well, you want me to close the main gate and make sure it is not opened again, slaughter some people while I'm at it, and also defend you against a Lich and his minions… That will cost you."

"You won't be alone in doing it, there will be the undead we have created so far. Thirty of them, and rising till the time of the ritual."

Thelsea began to laugh at the idea that such low level undead could help hold back a group led by a Lich, when Mathius began to cough. The cough began to build, the frail man stumbled away from his shrine, the cat woman could feel him weakening, Mathius placed his free hand up to his mouth just as he coughed blood into his hand. Their eyes meet for a brief moment before he fell to his side, luckily for him the Succubus managed to break his fall, shortly after 3 of his subordinates rushed into the chamber.

"W-What happened!?" Orthos asked, panicking

"He began to cough." Thelsea replied, seemingly not understanding what was happening

"Take him back to his room. I'll be with him shortly." Orthos ordered the other two, who obeyed and helped Mathius back to his feet

"W-Where are you taking me!? I-I still have to… finish the shrine… for the ritual!" the weakened man growled, between weaker cough

"They'll take care of it." Thelsea pointed out

"T-Then follow me, Orthos! Everything must be right, for when the time comes!"

"As you wish, sir."

* * *

Thelsea spent what she felt to be an eternity sitting next to the door that lead to Mathius's bedroom, she could hear some shouts coming from the other side, even in his current state his will continued as strong as ever. Orthos and the female subordinate, that seemed to have the function of looking over their superior when he was feeling worse, exited the room, closing the door behind them and stopping near it.

"What happened?" the demon asked, getting back to her feet

"How can you ask us such a thing!?" Orthos growled angerly

"Settle down. It seems like he has neglected to take his medicine for quite some time." the female subordinate informed

"I see. Still doesn't explain why you talked to me with that tone, Orthos." Thelsea growled

"You are the one that spends the most time with him! Even we, his faithful servants, are only given limited time with him, while you are allowed to stay in the same room as him for as long as you wish. Certainly, you must have notice something, some signs of his worsening health!"

"I didn't notice anything." the cat woman replied, with an empty tone

"That doesn't matter now. However it may be too late, as he is now, there isn't much we can do." the female subordinate pointed out

"W-What are you saying? Y-You can't possibly believe that he may…" she quickly interrupted Orthos

"Die? Yes."

Thelsea took in the idea of the man dying, of this frail and sick man dying, the idea made her uncomfortable. He was such a fascinating individual, him dying now would be nothing more very troublesome, as it would end the only form of entertainment she had had in a long time.

"I'm going to go see him now. Make sure everything is ready for the ritual to be performed as soon as possible." she ordered

Going through the door, and immediately closing it behind her, Thelsea made her way towards Mathius bed. The room was dimly lighted, the bed was in the center and it was surprisingly small given his position among in the eyes of those that shared this building with him, seeing a chair to her right the demon took the seat.

As she watched over Mathius, his breathing shallow, he was sweating profusely, and had grown much paler than usual, Thelsea realized that this had to be the first time she had seen such a scene. Amongst her people disease was effectible nonexistent, and the few humans she had meet before him had had no time to show her anything like this, as they all died shortly after the meeting.

"I was told that you were dying because you failed to take your medicine. Isn't that a dumb move to do on your part? You can't perform the ritual if you are dead."

Mathius's left hand rose from the bed, his skinny fingers managed to get between her outfit and her body, allowing him to grab on to her clothing, even if the hold had little to no strength.

"How could I take those things, at a time like this!? They are better at slowing my mind, then holding back this disease." he growled, fire in his eyes

"But don't you have 10 people who can help you?"

"N-Now that I-I am in this state… they can't be trusted…" Mathius replied, as he regulated his breathing

"Aren't you being paranoid?"

"Who isn't? The only difference is that I'm a little more honest than the rest. And let me tell you this a god is only worshiped while he can provide his worshipers with what they want! When he fails, sooner or later, people will turn their backs on him."

Thelsea rolled her eyes at him, and placed her left hand over his mouth like she had done the first time they meet, just like back then he gave her the same fiery gaze, even if slightly weakened by his current state. There was a will to live behind those eyes, certainly a dead man would not have such a defiant look, she could kill him right now they both knew that, Mathius would be powerless to stop her.

"Are you giving up?" she asked, the man growled something into her hand

"That's so… unbecoming of you. For such a strong-willed man, to be speaking as if everything is crumbling around him… It truly pains me." Thelsea said, with somewhat disturbing smile

The Succubus lifted her hand, proceeding to use it to carefully caress his bony cheek, breaking him would such an entertaining idea, she could already imagine what he would spit at her in his anger and desperation. What fun would that be now, he was dying, and honestly, she was more interested in seeing live, she couldn't let him die now, certainly she couldn't it, it would take away her new-found interest in the world.

Another one like him could be found, but how long would that take, was there even another person like him out there, she didn't believe that would be the case. A man so pathetic in appearance, yet so strong of mind, and skilled with the innerworkings of magic, he was still weak in the face of the ones she used to serve, but in her eye so were the rest of the humans. Still, this man was worthy of her attention, letting him die without achieving his goal, would be criminal, perhaps she would find him boring once he became a Lich, but as he is now her interest was dwindling.

"Don't think so little of me." Mathius said, pushing away her still caressing hand

"I'm still far from dead. I have more than enough life in me to go through with the ritual." he added

"It will take some time. While I waited, I heard some say we will only be able to do it tomorrow night." Thelsea pointed out

"Because they still lack the skill to get things properly done in time."

Mathius slowly tried to rise from his laying position, even if it was obviously impossible for him to do it, Thelsea forced him back down, ignoring his weak attempts to contradict her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going…" Mathius tried to reply, but Thelsea placed her left index finger on his lips silencing him once more

"No, you are not. If you want to actually achieve the form of a Lich, you need to stay alive and get better till they are finished making the preparations. Or do you prefer to risk an early death?" she asked, lifting her finger

"I don't intend on dying…" once more she silenced him

"Good. Because I also wasn't planning on allowing you to die. No, I wouldn't allow such selfish act, if you were to die who would grant me such entertainment?"

For the first time since they meet Mathius looked at her as if he was truly perplexed, she saw him as a source of entertainment? No, that was an excuse, that much he was able to conclude, after all she spent most of her time around him, he could always feel the eyes in the back of his head, and on his work. She truly was no fool, even if she didn't understand his work, Mathius felt that she held some genuine form of interest in it, and in a similar extent she had interest in him. Perhaps she didn't like the idea of losing something she had found interest in, since she had mentioned she left the Evil Deities because she was bored, yet in his mind it felt like too little motivation for her to seem concerned for him.

"Selfish? I see, perhaps it is selfish of me… I'll let them finish the rest of the work."

"Good. Now, get some rest. You need it."

"I don't need rest! I need to think of how to deal with the ones coming here, and my own minions if necessary."

"There is no need for you to worry about that. I'm going to stay here while you rest, I'll take care of whatever happens." Thelsea said, yawning before letting her head fall on the bed

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Mathius fell into a long silence, becoming obvious he was thinking or planning something, as much as she was interested to know what it was, his sickly look only made her wonder if he would simply die on the spot.

"Mathius, I have a question." Thelsea asked, in a childish manner, raising her head from the bed

"What is it?"

"Don't healing potions, work on this disease of yours?"

"They only have a limited effect. The one's we have right now, won't do me much good."

"What if you take all of them?"

"Theoretically it should, give me a momentary boost."

"Then I can go and get you whatever are left, give 1 to you every 2 hours or so, and whatever remains I'll give them all to you in one go." the demon suggested, jumping off from her chair

"And you think, we hadn't considered a similar option!? It would only help to stable my condition."

"Isn't that enough? You just need to be well enough to perform the ritual."

"So be it."

Thelsea exited the room and made her way to his office where she knew the potions were kept in a large wooden box, inside were 20 potions. They weren't the best in her option, but if he had considered a similar idea to hers, he must have taken into account their quality. Taking the box back into the room, she placed it near the bed and took her seat once more, picking up the first potion she helped Mathius drink it.

"In 2 hours, I'll give you another."

"You can go. There's no need for you to stay here, I'm more than able to take care of myself."

Thelsea frowned at him, just to caress his cheek once more, all the while giving Mathius the look one would give a crazed person.

"And risk having something go wrong? Nonsense."

The man fell silent shortly after, going into a deep sleep which surprisingly seemed to help slow down the progress of whatever affected him. Thelsea placed herself in front of the bed, and by extent in front of the door, she only moved when the time came to give him a potion.

It was late in the afternoon when Orthos came into the room and informed them that everything was ready for the ritual to begin.

"Take him down to the chamber, and release the undead upon the city. I'll be taking care of my side of the plan." Thelsea said, having just finished giving Mathius what remained of the potions

"And I should obey your orders, because?"

"Because I say so." Mathius growled

"A-As you wish, sir."

Thelsea turned towards the nearby window and opened it, before jumping into the ground bellow and vanishing.

"Take me to the chamber, we'll start right after she closes the gate." Mathius said

* * *

With the help of his staff and Orthos, Mathius managed to make his way to the central chamber, where he waited for the signal from Thelsea. The Succubus made easy work of the guards at the main gate, disposing of them before closing the main gate and making sure it couldn't be opened within the city. Making her way back to the cave, she saw Mathius waiting for her, and his subordinates in their respective positions.

"The gate's closed." she informed

"The undead are already on their way towards the surface. Go and increase the body count, in 30 minutes most of this town's population has to be dead."

Thelsea stretched her limbs before vanishing once more, arriving at the surface once more, she looked around hearing the panic caused by the undead, taking a cat like stance she began to run through the buildings. Using her speed and sharp claws, the Succubus easily disposed of 4 people at once, if not more, half an hour passed in what seemed to be in the blink of an eye, in the end she was covered in blood and gore.

A pillar of dark red energy busted from the ground at the center of the city, the pillar made its way into the dark sky coming down in the form of rains, the drops fell on the dead bodies, who slowly began to rise. Thelsea watched from a top of a high building, as Mathius's newborn undead army lazily moved around the city, killing whatever survivors remained, so that the bodies could be reborn as undead.

Sometime later, clear light pillars shot up into the sky from the compass points, as soon as they emerged the undead stopped and began to move towards the nearest pillar.

"Guess I can rest…"

Thelsea's imminent break was brought to a swift end, as the sound of the gate exploding echoed through the air, quickly making her way there, jumping from roof to roof, she found the cause. Where the gate used to stand were now the people of Zuranon, at the front was the man in a similar robe as Mathius, and to his right was the Lich.

"It seems it is too late." the man in the red robe spoke

"Nonsense, Gill. This doesn't seem to be the traditional ritual." the Lich retorted, looking at the pillars of light

"He's doing things his own way, as we expected." Gill said

"He must be below the center of the city. We can split up and corner him there."

"If you think that is the best course of action, Azix, we will follow."

"Unfortunately for you, all of you will die here." a female voice said

Azix and Gill now noticed that in front of them was a feminine form, while both found her appealing, they noted her inhuman nature, most definably a demon.

"I see that Mathius has called upon some great powers." Gill remarked

"Why not step aside, let us deal with him, and then join us?" Azix asked, motioning her aside

"I'm afraid, I can't allow that."

Mathius stood near the shrine waiting for the smaller crystals to be filled, while he waited his subordinates let out what were now, and had always been, pointless chants. Suddenly he felt an invisible force hit him in his left side, sending his body into the ground with a loud and painful crash. Orthos went to help him, just to be hit by a similar blast, however this one was much powerful, killing the man in an instant, his death taking away what courage remained in the rest.

All eyes went to one of the entrances, from it emerged Azix, his robe was badly cut, he was missing an arm, the skin that used to cover the right side of his face was gone, and the bone had been cut through.

"So, you've come for me." Mathius growled, trying to get back to his feet

"And it seems you believed yourself to be ready for us. However, in your current state, with the demon defeated, and surrounded by cowards, you prove yourself to be nothing more than a fool." Azix remarked, as the human staggered back to his feet

"No! If anyone here is a fool, is you, Azix! For being the oldest and strongest of Zuranon's Liches, you have failed to stop the ritual, instead wasting your time on some meaningless fight. [Lightning Bolt]!"

Azix raised a weak protection wall, which was enough to stop the bolt, and replied with the same power he had used before [Elemental Manipulation: Wind], before he could do it beams of energy emerged from the entrances matching the compass points and hit the crystal in the shrine.

"Attack him you fools! He must not get in the way of the ritual." Mathius roared, ordering his men into action

Soon enough Azix found himself being bombarded by spells, which even in his current state were weak, using a combination of protective walls and attack spells he disposed of Mathius's followers. He then took aim at Mathius, who had both his hands on the crystal, he called upon his [Elemental Manipulation: Wind] and prepared his final attack, when something jumped him from behind forcing him into the ground.

"Who dares…" the Lich growl looking back, his eyes widened when he saw Thelsea

"I-Impossible…" he gasped

"You should have known that causing a building to crumble on top of me would only slow me down." she hissed

The Succubus lunged at him, pinning him to the ground, she rammed her claws into his remaining arm, followed by biting down on his throat, and ripping Azix's head off in one swift motion.

She looked at Mathius as red energy once more erupted from the crystal, this time it didn't go into the sky, the dark energy was projected into every direction, blinding her to his presence. The disturbing display came to an abrupt end, as the released power was sucked back into Mathius inducing the wanted changes. His skin grew paler, some of his skin rotted, and he became even skinnier, but surprisingly he looked healthier than he did before, then he did as a human.

"F-Finally, a body worth of my being." he laughed

"Not bad. But I've got to say it looks a lot like the older one." Thelsea chuckled, approaching him

"I see that you are still alive." Mathius remarked, turning to face her

"Were you worried?"

"Mostly disappointed."

"Is that so? Because you don't sound disappointed, you sound worried." she chuckled, getting closer to him

"You…"

Whatever Mathius was about to say, never even had time to take form in his mouth, as Thelsea gave him one quick kiss, followed by distancing herself from him with a mischievous chuckle.

"And there's more from where that came from."

"Behave, we don't have time for this." the Lich growled

"But you aren't saying that it displeased you?" Thelsea asked

"W-We need to get going."

"Do we still have to worry about Zuranon?"

"Not only them."

* * *

They spent the following years going from one place to the other, the world was changing and for beings like them it wasn't becoming the best place to inhabit. As time pass, they managed to develop a full fledge relationship, since Mathius no longer was driven by one sole objective. During their travels they found the place that would eventually become their home, the Mines of Tartarus, it was there that by knowing Kloid and exploring the Mines's library he uncovered the ritual that enabled him to ascend to the status of an Overlord, and it was there Kaia was conceived and given birth too.


	55. The Nature of Malekith

Mathius told his story to Alucard, and by extension Zesshi, Talia, and Zeno, as they made their way to the 4th floor, where amongst several things the Kloid and the Treasury.

"A very interesting story." Alucard remarked

"It's just a story like any other." Mathius said

They stopped in front of a large empty wall, which shortly after vanished leading to a large dungeon like chamber, with walls made of mossy stone. Occupying nearly half of the room was a large, amorphous mass of vegetable matter, several tendrils sprung from its sides and back going into the walls, some of them had the glowing orbs, in front it had an opening that worked as a makeshift mouth. What caught the attention of Alucard was what rested between them and the Kloid, on a wooden chair was a mummified body, wearing old and tattered clothing, it seemed to be human in nature. The single tendril that emerged from the Kloid's mouth seemed to connect to the body, through its upper back.

"I wasn't expecting that, when I heard you say plant." Zesshi remarked, looking at the Kloid

"It is far more fascinating and complex than most plants any of you have ever had the pleasure of seeing." Mathius pointed out

"That is enough." a new voice spoke

All eyes went to the mummified body, it slowly began to move like a puppet, it didn't seem to have much mobility, just enough to compose itself so it's head was risen and looking at the group.

"I take it you are using that body to communicate with us?" Alucard asked

"You seem to know much about my kind." the Kloid said, through the body

"I always found the beings from YGGDRASIL fascinating, I made it a point of being aware of what most of them could do."

"Know thy enemy. Is that your strategy?"

"I do prefer to know what I am getting myself into, every time I go into combat." Alucard replied

"Then what do you know of your enemy? The one you call Elf King."

"That's a pointless question. If you know why I'm here, I'm sure Kaia saw enough of my memories to know what information I have on Malekith."

"Shouldn't we move ahead to more interesting matters?" Mathius asked, looking at the Kloid

"You were always an eager one, Mathius." the Kloid remarked, seemingly in no worry

"Do you have anything of use to tell us?" Zesshi asked

"Hold your tongue child." the Kloid growled

"I am no child!" Zesshi spat back, taking a few steps forward just to be stopped by Alucard

"In its eyes, I'm sure you are." the vampire remarked

"That is true. This Kloid is at least 300 years old."

"Still don't like his attitude." the half-elf said, causing Mathius to chuckle

"It cares little for most beings. Either you like or dislike its attitude, it doesn't care." the Overlord pointed out

"You seem to know it well. But I guess you've spent much time with it." Alucard said

"In a sense. I am mentally linked to it, which gives us more than enough time to know each other." Mathius said

"Why would he make such a link with you?" Zeno asked

"Its eyes are limited only to the inside of the Mines. Through me, he can see the outside world and better understand things, then with its own eyes. As much as its mind is complex and beyond a simple human, it lacks the basic knowledge to understand a few concepts, after all it hasn't seem much from outside of these Mines." the Overlord replied

"You make it sound one sided, Mathius." the Kloid pointed out

"My apologies. Amongst several things, the Kloid uses its mental powers to control my undead minions."

"That explains why they were so efficient, for undead." Talia remarked

"That is clever of you, Mathius. Kloids are known for being able to control weak minds, controlling and army shouldn't be too much of a challenge." Alucard informed

"It takes little effort on my part to control weak minded undead." the Kloid said

"I begin to agree with Zesshi, isn't there something else you wanted to tell me?" the True Vampire asked, looking at the massive plant

"What do you know of the Mines of Tartarus?"

"Not much. I wasn't even aware it had been occupied by a guild." Alucard replied

"Then perhaps you are not as impressive as Mathius thinks…" the Kloid said, just for Talia to speak over him

"You dare…" Talia was then silenced, by Alucard raising his hand

"Continue."

"The Mines were occupied by the Horde."

"The Horde? But that was a relatively weak guild, if there was someone like Malekith among them I would have known."

"That is because you see Malekith as you see yourself, in truth he is but a creation of the guild master, Sadok." the plant said, causing Alucard to raise an eyebrow at it

"Sadok? Was he a demon, expert in fire manipulation?"

"He was."

"You knew him?" Zesshi asked

"I crossed paths with him, he even tried to get me to join him before I joined Ainz Ooal Gown. But that doesn't make sense, he was obsessed with being the strongest, however he would never get caught dead surrounded by weaklings. Why would he be leading a guild made out of those weaker than him?"

"From what I know, he was desperate to amass people who would join him, that is why he allowed those inferior to him to join the Horde."

"How do you know this? Certainly, most of this happened before you were placed here." Alucard pointed out

"When he and his guild conquered the Mines of Tartarus, Sadok called upon someone else to help him develop the interior of the Mines. This body belongs to that person, his name was Arcany, among several things he was the person to place me here."

"Arcany… The Arcany!? You are telling me that one of the greatest, if not the greatest inventors in YGGDRASIL, was working for Sadok? Why?" Alucard growled, visibly shocked

"I do not know why. However, it was he that helped design much of the Mines new interiors, he was the one that gave the idea of placing me here, and he was the one that created the guild weapon."

"How is this related to Malekith?" Zesshi hissed

"He was created by Sadok, when he saw that beings with power comparable to his wouldn't join him. He opted to create an ally, instead of finding them. And so that his new creation could also surround himself with powerful minions, he made Malekith a Summoner."

"That doesn't explain why he can summon things he shouldn't be able to." Alucard pointed out

"That is where Arcany and the guild weapon come in. I believe that in Sadok's eyes Malekith was the true guild weapon, however he was still limited. So Sadok asked Arcany for a weapon that would allow his creation, and others, to break free of suck limits. You have already seen what part of this weapon can do, during your fight with the Elite."

"Zeno and Soora mentioned that part of the King's gauntlet was in the staff. But you should already know that." Alucard remarked

"The Hand of Transcendence, I'm certain the elf must have seen how it works." the Kloid said, causing all eyes to go to Zeno

"I-I never saw the King do anything with his gauntlet." Zeno pointed out

"You wouldn't see it, especially if Malekith doesn't remove the gauntlet. But you may have noticed something on the woman that used the staff." the Kloid pointed out

"I only hear that she was weaker without it. But everyone knew that part of the King's power was in that staff, it only made sense if she was weaker without it."

"Then Malekith has this weapon with him, which allows him to transcend the limitations of a summoner… Does that mean that there are no limits to what he can summon?" Alucard asked

"If the weapon is as powerful as it is supposed to be, then yes."

"How did he become King? Are you saying he is acting out of his own will?" Talia asked

"Albedo did it, why wouldn't he?" Zesshi remarked

"When the Mines were transported to this world, only 6 of the guilds members remained, along with the servants, Malekith and myself. After some time, he could no longer bear to be surrounded by weaklings, he went into the Treasury where he acquired the Hand and Kusanagi…" the Kloid began his answer, when Alucard interrupted him

"Kusanagi? As in the World Class Item?"

"Yes."

"That opportunistic bastard." Alucard mumbled

"Is something the matter?" Mathius asked, his interest peaked by the vampire's quiet anger

"Kusanagi is a sword of great power, with control over electricity. However, if I am not wrong, I heard Alucard say it had been lost." Talia replied

"It was stolen, now we know by who, Sadok. But since it was stolen he couldn't use it freely, so he must have kept it in the Treasury."

"He stole it from you?" Zesshi asked

"No. Kusanagi was guarded in a cave by, the World Class Enemy, Yamata no Orochi and while others fought it, he must have used the confusion to take it for himself."

"What happened after that? Did he kill the rest of the people here?" Alucard growled

"He made his intentions no secret, so he was opposed. Arcany was the first to be attacked, he managed to take refuge here, where he bled to death, the rest were all slaughtered."

"When I arrived here almost all of the floors were in a similar state to the 1st. I surprised me when I was told that it was mostly a one-sided battle." Mathius added

"Anything else we need to know about him?" Zesshi asked

"He wears robes that protect him from magical attacks, and a necklace that protects him from physical damage."

"Great." Zesshi sighed

Had they bitten more than they could chew, that was the question that filled Alucard's mind, the Elite were already a massive issue, but he was now presented with a Summoner who was beyond a level 100, and wielded a WCI. His hand passed through his hair, and he turned to looked at Zesshi, he couldn't read her expression, she also seemed to be worried, perhaps because she saw his reaction.

"Is it really that bad?" she asked, with a shaken voice

"It is."

"I see."

Alucard walked towards her, placed his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head so their foreheads would touch.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, in a low tone

"I-I want…"

Zesshi seemed to begin to sob, her arms lifted and her hands wrapped around his wrists, Alucard could feel the strength behind her grip, it began to be uncomfortable but he didn't dare to say a thing.

"… I want to kill him! For what he did those who see him as King… and for what he did to my mother." Zesshi growled

"P-Please help me! Even if you think it is impossible for us to win… please help me!" she continued, pleading

"Do you understand what you are saying? A suicide mission is not something to be taken lightly."

"C-Certainly there is no need to think like that. We can deal with the Elite, and the King…" Talia said, but her creator spoke over her

"Set is at my level, only one of you can't take care of him. As Malekith is I will have to be the one to face him…" Alucard began, just for Zesshi to interrupt him

"I'll help you. I'm not going to waste my time with anyone else, not when he's in my grasp."

"You're all mad. Even after what it said, you still consider going against the King… I know that I said I was with you, but now… I'm going back to the 3rd floor." Zeno announced, walking out of the chamber

"Where are you going!? You…" Zesshi roared, being silenced by Alucard

"Let him go."

"But…"

"We can't ask him to have the same resolve as the rest of us. For now, let him leave."

"Isn't him leaving a problem? After all he and his sister are the biggest source of current information you have on Malekith." Mathius said

"He's not going to leave the Mines. He just needs some time to clear his head."

"Is there anything else you want to tell or ask us? As you can see we have much to take care off." Alucard asked

"You may leave."

* * *

The group exited the chamber, and the wall reappeared, Alucard, Zesshi and Talia turned to go back to the 3rd floor, but Mathius spoke before they could leave.

"Alucard, perhaps you would want to go with me to the 5th floor." Mathius suggested

"What for?"

"You said that you found the beings of YGGDRASIL fascinating, perhaps you would be interested in seeing my own creations."

"Your creations?" Alucard asked, turning to look at the Overlord

"Indeed. My very own undead army, numbering over a 1000, and with what I believe to be unique undead amongst it."

"Very well, lead the way. Talia, Zesshi go back and see if Zeno has changed his mind." Alucard said

"What should we do, if he hasn't?" Talia asked

"Make sure he reconsiders. Now lead the way, Mathius."

* * *

Mathius lead Alucard down to the 5th floor, the last floor of the Mines, much to his surprise the entrance to the floor was different than the others. Going down the staircase, Alucard was faced with a narrow entrance, leading to a large corridor, where the only light was that given by the scattered Kloid eyes. Mathius lead him through a door that was to their right, 20 meters away from the entrance, before the vampire was now a large laboratory, in Alucard's eyes it was a marvelous mix of magic and technology.

"I've got to say you have some very interesting equipment."

"According to the Kloid, many of them were created by Arcany, some I brought in from the outside world, and there are even a few I created myself."

The vampire continued to look around the room, to the left of the entrance was a large window, on the opposite wall were 3 doors, 2 of them looked apart from the rest of the rooms architecture, making Alucard believe they were placed there after Mathius arrived. His eyes also feel on a nearby table, where he saw the body of the Elite that Brain chased after.

"I was wondering what had happened to him. What will you do with the body?" Alucard asked, approaching the table

"He will join my forces. Or given his strength, I may begin to use him as the base for my undead, well the weaker ones." Mathius replied, walking towards Alucard

"Base?"

"Do you really believe I have and army of this size because of bodies I've acquired, or mere summons? No, no, certainly not. Not when I'm presented with such marvelous equipment to work with."

"Then how did you do it?"

"For example, I turn that body into an undead, I take tissue from it. That tissue can be used to grow copies of the subject or when mixed with other tissue be turned into a completely new being."

"You create copies of the same being? If you can do that why not do it with living beings?"

"Well… Those are burdened with a conscious, and are not as easy for the Kloid to control, that is my belief, and the reason for me not to create any." Mathius replied

"That is a valid concern, you wouldn't want any possibilities for rebellion, now would you?"

"Exactly. Come let me show you my latest project." Mathius said, walking towards one of the doors

"You seem to be very talkative." Alucard remarked, going after him

"It's not every day that I can speak of my work with someone else, other than Thelsea and Kaia."

* * *

They went through one of the doors, it lead to a large room, it was filled with several cylindrical cells, that seemed to be made out something similar to glass, inside each of these cylinders was a creature, which Alucard assumed were Mathius's creations.

"It always create at least two specimens, one to join the army the other to keep here, so I can extract more tissue or use it as an immediate replacement." the Overlord informed

Mathius lead him to one specific containment cells, where a 3-meter-tall being stood, it like all others seemed to be in a trance, unresponsive to outside stimulus.

"The others faced one of these before they reached Kaia's room. You could say it is one of my best successes with the use of slimes. It can maintain a solid form, however if a limb is removed, the two parts will meld back together."

"It must be very resilient."

"It is almost immune to most physical type of damage. It's predecessor, was unable to keep a solid form, it could be described as a slime using a body to keep a humanoid shape. That body was a weakness, if it was destroyed the creature would be killed."

"So, you are saying this one has no solid parts at all?"

"Correct."

Mathius then showed him another undead, this one was the size of a regular human, it was a ghoulish thing, with dark redskin and white eyes.

"This one is also able to put himself back together, it is gifted with a central core, as long as the core remains it can recover from almost any injury."

"How big is the core? Where is it located?" Alucard asked, to which the Overlord seemed to smile at

"Both of those aspects seem to vary from subject to subject."

"Then I take it, that the process you use to create these things isn't an exact one. It is very fascinating actually, you remind me of the scientists back in my world."

"Your original world?" Mathius asked

"Yes. It was one without magic, so we had to go about things in a different manner. Your way of doing things, from what I understood, reminds me of that world, even if it has magic in it."

"That does sound like a very interesting world." Mathius remarked, making his way deeper into the room

"It had its moments. But it doesn't disguise the fact that we pretty much killed our world."

"Is that so? Do you think the people of this world will do something similar?"

"I don't know, the presence of magic alone is enough to make me think such a terrible fate can be avoided. It is able to replace many of the things that lead my world into the state it is in."

"Do you miss that world?" Mathius asked

"I miss the people, amongst other things. But the planet itself not one bit." Alucard replied

"Are any of those things your body? Ever since I knew that you were once human, I was curious to know if you missed your old body? For example, as you may have noticed, I don't miss how my body used to be."

"Well, this one is much stronger, and not that bad looking, still I can't complain about my old one. Unlike yours it was the peak of human form, in my world."

"How good it must have felt, to have a healthy body."

"Were you always sick?" Alucard asked

"Yes. It got worse with age, but it was always there. As much as I searched there seemed to be no permanent cure."

"But I see that you have gotten the most out of the situation." Alucard pointed out, to which the Overlord chuckled

"True."

As they walked, Alucard stopped in his tracks as he saw what was held in one of the cells, it was a Death Night.

"You summoned one of these?" Alucard asked

"I did. With the use of the knowledge I acquired from the library and 1 human body. When the ritual was successful I created some more."

The duo then passed by another creature, that reminded Alucard of a Death Knight, however without armor or horns. It had white eyes, pale skin, the left hand was normal while the other had overgrown claws, it had two fleshy organs, one right over the heart, and the other on the right shoulder.

"This is one of my greatest creations. Destructive power capable of going beyond the Death Knight, the ability of keeping a solid form like the first being I showed you, and with 3 cores. I call it Ragnarok."

"That does sound impressive." Alucard said

"And this is my newest, and still experimental, creation."

Mathius turned to look at another cell, this one was also quite large in size, however it was sickening frail looking, with a massive blob forming on its back and shoulders, causing it to have a hunched posture. The blob was dark yellow in color, from it grew something akin to fungus that covered most of the creature's body.

"It is one of my few experiments that involve plant tissue. This one a plant that reproduces vis spores, which in this creature are located in the mass it carries on its back."

"It reproduces?" Alucard asked, raising an eyebrow at the Overlord

"No. At the moment the membrane covering the spores, is to thick so the only way for it to open is through force. Meaning that fighting it is an extremely foolish thing to do."

"But what happens, would happen, it did release the spores."

"If they are breath in, the person who did so would be turned into a low level undead."

"That is extremely dangerous. If you release this in a city, under the right conditions, you could convert all the population easily."

"It is only dangerous in the hands of fools who don't know what they are dealing with! I know very well what my creations are capable off." Mathius growled back

"I have to ask, why create an army? What use can you have for it?"

"Protection. What else? I have no wish to rule a nation."

"Then, how do you move them around?" Alucard asked, causing Mathius to "smile" again

"With these." the Overlord replied, presenting an item to Alucard, the same that had been given to Clementine

"You create a [Gate] in the location you need protected, and the army comes through, smart."

"Would you be open to helping us in our cause?" Alucard asked

"In taking down the Elf King? Preposterous." Mathius remarked, walking pass Alucard and back to the entrance

"I only ask for your army as a distraction. There is no need for you to be involved, I understand that throwing away your forces is difficult but…" Alucard began, but the Overlord cut him off

"I have to be involved! The Kloid's power doesn't reach that far, the link with the undead is too weak. I would have to be there, since my link with it is much stronger, so his commands have to pass through me and then to them."

"Then would you be open to joining us? You would only be working as a distraction, I doubt Malekith would spend much time on you, at worst he would send in the weakest of the Elite, and if you are an Overlord like those I am used to seeing, you should be able to fight it."

"And risk getting killed? I have too much to protect." Mathius growled back

"That's exactly why you should help us. We will take over Elf Country after we defeat the King, I'm certain that even you must be sick of living underground for all this time. Help us and we will give you, and your family, a home on the surface. I'm sure you don't want Kaia to remain here for the rest of eternity." Alucard argued back

"That is very generous, especially for someone who did try to kill you."

"I understood why you did it. Believe me, if I hadn't we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"And you only want me and my army's help as distractions?"

"For the moment. A mind like yours is valuable, be it in the creation of this creatures, or other areas, we could go far with your help."

"And in return me and my family would receive a home? And protection from whoever is still after us, correct?"

"Yes. And whatever else is needed, for you to feel welcomed in the world."

"You are too kind a man, Alucard. It is very humane of you." Mathius pointed out, with a laugh

"Perhaps. But it is too big an opportunity to let go."

"I need to discuss this with Thelsea and Kaia. Only then will I give you an answer."

"You seem to take your families opinion into great account." Alucard pointed out

"I must keep them happy, must I not? As much as it pains me, Thelsea is not that pleased with our current situation. Yes, she goes to the surface from time to time, but she wishes for complete freedom. Kaia is just the same, whatever knowledge exists here she has already learned it."

"I see."

"Let's go. I'm certain you want my answer as soon as possible." Mathius said


	56. The Beginnings of a Plan

Zesshi and Talia went back to the 3rd floor, they were looking for Zeno to see if he had calmed down. The sounds of what seemed to be an argument got louder and louder, as they got closer to Kaia's room, near the room was everyone, and the one speaking loudly was Zeno. However, his tone wasn't one of anger or aggression, it was that of desperation, given the fact he was talking to Soora, as everyone else watched, they concluded he was trying to convince her to leave.

"What did we miss?" Zesshi asked, approaching the group

"Nothing much." Touka replied

"He wants to leave~" Clementine pointed out

"We know." the half-elf remarked

"B-But I don't want to leave." Soora pointed out

"We will get ourselves killed if we don't. Even she admits that going against the King is suicide!" Zeno growled, pointing at Zesshi

"Is that true?" Brain asked

"I-I said no such thing… Alucard was the one to say it, from what I understood Malekith's power is even beyond what he imagined." Zesshi replied, with an almost defeated tone

"That's why I'm going to leave while I've yet to openly oppose him. Soora please understand that I'm only saying this because I want what's best for you." Zeno said, looking back at his sister

"I-It's too late, we've already failed him. We are disposable in his eyes, if we leave here, we will be found and killed." Soora argued back

"B…B-But that is not certain. I doubt he will waste his time with the two of us, he would leave our fate to the rest of the Elite. And if that's the case… I'm certain you would be safe."

"You can't be sure of that."

"Then, why are you leaving? From what you are saying, you will die either way." Zesshi said

"But if we are captured without being hostile, there is still a chance that Soora is spared."

"Why would she be spared?" a new voice asked, from behind Talia and Zesshi

All eyes went to the approaching Alucard and Mathius, the vampire stopped next to Zesshi and Talia, while the Overlord went to Kaia's room, motioning his daughter and Thelsea to follow him.

"She always seemed to be fond of Soora, perhaps that will be enough for her to be sparred." Zeno replied

"That is a risk gamble. But what does she think? Did he tell you what happened?" Alucard asked, looking at the young female elf

"Y-Yes. That you, and Zesshi, were worried when the truth of the King's power was revealed."

"He and his forces are strong, too strong for our group to fight and achieve a guaranteed victory. We will need all the help we can get, even if I tell you that we may fail and die, will you lend us your strength?"

"I had already agreed to join you. I-I'm not going to be moved by words, that were merely conforming what all of us elves believe in." Soora replied, confidently

"Brother please reconsider leaving. Just think of what would happen if we do win? We would be helping everyone by getting rid of the King, and bringing the war to an end." she argued, looking back at Zeno

"But if you die…" he began to say, but Soora interrupted him

"I'll die for our people, and not at the hands of a member of the Elite."

"F-Fine… If that is what you want… I'll go with you."

"But what do you want, Zeno?" Alucard asked

"I just want for my sister to live."

"Don't worry. We'll keep her safe." Talia remarked

"Is the King that powerful?" Lottus asked

"He is. He is at the same level as me, but he has equipment that enable him to go beyond that." Alucard replied

"Equipment?" Nyx asked

"A gauntlet that enables him to go beyond his limitations, and the World Class Item Kusanagi." Talia replied

"B-But that means, he is stronger than Alucard, correct~?" Clementine asked

"You…" Talia hissed, just for Alucard to silence her

"In 1 on 1 combat yes. But since Zesshi has already made it clear she isn't going to fight anyone else, she will be helping me. A 2vs1 should make a victory easier to achieve." Alucard chuckled

"I don't mean to question your words… B-But you don't sound too confident." Brain pointed out, sounding somewhat fearful

"You're scared?" Touka asked

"N-No. But knowing this, you can blame me for having a few doubts."

"There is no room for doubts in this mission, Brain." Lottus pointed out

"So, you're not scared either, Lottus~?" Clementine asked

"No. I already said that I would go through with this, I'm not going back on my word."

"Good man. What about you, Clementine?" Alucard asked

"I'm rather enjoying the quality time we've spent together~ That being said, I'm not going anywhere~"

"H-How can all of you be so calm?" Zeno asked

"Because we are the best at what we do." Zesshi replied

"It's mostly because of Alucard." Touka chuckled

"Definably Alucard~" Clementine added

Zesshi rolled her eyes at the two, while Alucard simply scratched the back of his head while letting out an awkward laugh, which earned him a well-placed elbow from the half-elf. As Alucard composed himself from the blow, Mathius emerged from Kaia's room, and set his attention on the vampire.

"We have discussed your proposition and come to a conclusion. Still, Thelsea wants to speak to you personally."

"Alright." Alucard said, walking towards Mathius

* * *

Going through the door, the Overlord closed it behind the vampire, Kaia was sitting on her bed, while Thelsea sat on a chair to Alucard's left. As he entered the room he could feel her eyes on him, he was grateful that he was the only one there, her surprisingly overwhelming and aggressive presence was enough to even make him worried.

"Thelsea, there is no need for such a display. Not when you've already given an answer to his proposition." Mathius pointed out

"I have but, that doesn't mean I'm not going to voice my displeasure at the person who is asking my man to risk his own life, for his own desires!" the demon growled, getting back to her feet, and marching towards Alucard

"This is pointless. Violence against him will take you nowhere." the Overlord said

Thelsea ignored her mate's words and closed the distance between herself and Alucard, she stopped in front of him, looking up their eyes meet, causing a chill to go down the vampire's back.

"If this goes wrong, I'll put all the blame on you. I admit that I would like to have a proper life on the surface, but I don't wish for that over Mathius's wellbeing. Just know this, if anything happens to him, I will give you something to remember me by."

"I believe you." Alucard said

"Good. That being said, we agreed to your proposition." Thelsea informed, walking back to her seat

"Both me and my army will be ready for when you call upon us." Mathius said

"I am thankful, for knowing that you accepted my proposition. Now, do you mind if the others come in so we can discuss our plan of action?" Alucard asked

"Go ahead."

* * *

Alucard walked towards the door, opening it he motioned the people who were standing outside to enter, the group entered leaving only the center of the room empty.

"The reason I brought you here, is for us to discuss how we will approach the capital and what we will once we are inside. Now, Sarya since you seem to be familiar with the paths why not be the one to show us how we can get to the capital?" Alucard suggested, standing in the center

"A-Alright. If we keep following these lees travelled paths we should be able to reach the Capital without coming across any troops. Once we get near the Capital we can use the underground tunnels, normally used by the Sky Walkers, to get inside the city itself, this should allow us to get close without being detected." she said

"Using stealth won't do us much good. I'm sure that even now, the King has the entrance to the Mines under watch." Zeno pointed out

"Under watch by who?" Alucard asked

"Raknoug. He can control insects, so he uses them to keep watch over his prey."

"So, he knows we are here. Do you think he knows what we want?" Zesshi asked

"We don't know. It's possible, it's also possible that they have already deduced why you are going there." the elf replied

"What you are saying, is that he will be expecting us?" Zesshi asked, to which Zeno simply nodded

"Then, good thing Mathius has agreed to help us and let us use his army. We can use them to distract the King and the Elite while we get close." Alucard suggested

"Unless the army is capable of rivaling the Elite, it won't do you much good. Best case scenario he sends in Raknoug and its hive to take care of it." Zeno said

"We get rid of one of them, that's better than nothing." Zarya pointed out

"But before we can talk about using said army, I would like to know about the capital's layout." Alucard said, looking at the female elf

"It's rather simple actually. There are 4 main streets that meet at the center, where the Citadel is located, the rest are small buildings. The Citadel is the main political building, and where the King lives, it stands 20 stories tall." Sarya informed

"The King has complete control of the final 5 stories. The Council has one story that they inhabit." Zeno added

"What about the Elite? Where do they live?" Touka asked

"Underground, in personal chambers." Soora replied

"But at times like this, they will spend a lot of time in the Citadel." Zeno said

"If we can get one of them out of there using that army, it's better than nothing. You said that there are 4 main streets, we can open a [Gate] on each one and send part of the army through it…" Alucard said, when Mathius spoke over him

"And what do you want my army to do? I don't think a massacre is what you have in mind."

"Of course not. They will cause small damage to their surroundings, and scare people, just enough to cause a reaction and force the King into action. They will only attack only in self-defense… But now that I think about it, what about guards? How many are there in the capital?"

"Not many. If the King had had his way, almost everyone would be in the front lines, but the Council managed to convince him to keep some in the capital." Sarya replied

"Normally there are a 100 on the streets, another 100 active inside the Citadel, and a 100 more waiting for orders." Soora added

"If they are normal elves, against my army they will be easily decimated."

"Then you have the hive, that is what you should be concerned with." Zeno pointed out

"But wouldn't all of this turn the capital into a war zone? Do you think the King would allow that to happen?" Lottus asked

"I-I don't know." Zeno replied

"It is possible. The King sees little to no value in us, I've heard rumors from the stronger members of the Elite, that he has said on more than one occasion that he may just leave us to our faith." Soora informed

"If that is true. There is no reason for him not to unleash an all-out war in his very own capital." Zesshi said

"That is troubling… If an all-out war does break up, civilians will inevitably get caught in the cross fire." Alucard mumbled, with a thoughtful expression

"What about the [Gates]? How are we going to create them?" Talia asked

"We will use items."

"B-But how will we get them there?" the Bride asked

"Someone will have to get there ahead of time…" Alucard replied, falling back into silence as he thought of a plan

"What if someone goes ahead of the others~?" Clementine suggested

"Not a bad idea. I'm genuinely surprised." Lottus remarked

"You flatter me~" Clementine chuckled

"And you ruined it."

"I'll go." Alucard announced, getting everyone's attention

"I-Isn't there any other person that can go? If we lose you…" Talia began, but he raised his hand to silence her

"Do have a little more fate, Talia."

"What will you do? And what will we do, without you?" Zesshi asked

"I'll create a [Gate] to bring you all there."

"What if the entrance is under watch?" Brain asked

"Then we gamble that all their attention is placed here. I can create a [Gate] to some location behind we're we currently are, and make my way to the capital from there." Alucard replied

"But you would need someone who knows where the tunnels are." Sarya pointed out

"Then you will come with me. I'm sure you have some people who can help us."

"I do. But how are we going to get there? It's still a long journey." she asked

"On foot. Shouldn't take too long if I run." Alucard replied, calmly

"H-How fast can you run?" Zeno asked, stunned

"Faster than any horse."

"How will I accompany you?" Sarya asked

"W-Well…" Alucard began, looking briefly at Zesshi and Talia

"I'll carry you, it's the quickest way to go about this."

"I am not pleased by this plan." Zesshi mumbled

"We can deal with that later. But this will be the best way to do it. Sarya, do you agree?"

"Y-Yes. If it is the fastest way to do it."

"What if Sarya uses the item herself? In order to create a [Gate] to the tunnels." Talia suggested, causing Alucard to give her a dumbfounded expression

"Brilliant! As expected from Talia!" Alucard gasped

"I-I am unworthy of such praise."

"Mathius, give her the item." he said, and the Overlord gave the item to the elf

"Now, think of those tunnels, or just a location you know it's safe inside the Capital. While you visualize it in your mind, press the button."

Sarya did as the vampire instructed, she pointed the item at the ground, visualized the tunnels and when the image became clear in her mind, she pressed the small button and the [Gate] slowly took form.

"Now, try and see what is on the other side." Alucard said

Sarya almost fearfully approached the portal, getting close she placed one arm through it, feeling no strange sensation, she proceeded to walk through it, a few seconds later she walked back into the room.

"I-It worked!" she proclaimed, stunned

"Can I try!?" Kaia asked

"Perhaps later. When we have less pressing matters to attend to." Mathius replied

"Since we know we can get there without them knowing. We can actually spend some time coming up with a plan." Alucard said

"Ok." Kaia mumbled

* * *

Azrael arrived at her personal chamber, the architecture was similar to Roman architecture, there were several columns leading to the throne, light seemed to permeate from no particular source. On the sides, there were several couches and other comfortable resting places, to the far left was the door that lead to the other room, on the resting places were her servants. However, her servants were very different from the others found in the other chambers, they all wore very similar robes, there were a few men around, but the number of woman and children was visibly greater.

As she walked towards her throne, a few of the children walked up to her, took a small bow, and asked if she wanted to play with them, she warmly declined the offer, continuing to make her way towards her throne. Azrael was almost at the throne, where to its right was the oldest female elf, who looked to be in her late 40s, Azrael stopped in front of one of the sofas, where a young mother with her baby.

"Ara, your child is growing up so fast." Azrael remarked, approaching the elf

"T-Thank you. If it wasn't for your generosity…" Ara tried to speak, seeing her uneasiness the Elite quickly calmed her down

"That's in the past. Please be at ease, a child needs a calm environment to grow up properly."

Giving the young mother a warm smile, the fallen angel took a seat next to her, seeing this the older female elf let out a small sigh and made her way towards the Elite.

"Welcome back." she greeted

"How have things been in my absence, Verrona?" Azrael asked

"Everything is going well, as usual."

Azrael's eyes went to the baby in Ara's arms, they were such beautiful, and pure beings, it was such a shame Malekith was unable to see the value in them unless they showed potential. However, she saw the value in them, she saw value in all those the King had discarded, that was why she brought some of them here, so they could live a decent life away from the war. It was the best she could do, after all her connection with the King limited her actions, when it came to such subjects.

"M-My I hold him?" Azrael asked

"Y-Yes. As you wish." Ara replied

She placed the baby in the angel's arms, for a moment the child seemed to try and push himself away from the Elite's arms, Ara showed a somewhat worried expression, after all she didn't want to incur her superior's wrath.

"Ara, please be at ease. We understand that you are new here, but you must understand that Azrael wants only our good." Verrona informed, placing a carrying hand on the mother's shoulder

"I see. My apologies."

"There is no need, Ara." Azrael remarked, laughing as the child played with her hair

The sound of the entrance doors opening got her attention, putting on a more composed expression the Elite got up and walked into the corridor, so as to see who the new arrival was, it was a guard.

"Why are you here?" she asked

"I apologize for the intrusion, but we have brought the prisoner." the guard replied

"I see. Ara please come here and take your child. Verrona, you know what to do."

"As you wish. Everyone let's get back inside." Verrona announced, opening the doors that lead to the other room

When Azrael was the only one standing in the chamber, with the rest being beyond the doors, two guards dragged in a prisoner. He was a male soldier from the Theocracy, his wrists and ankles were restrained by chains, he was wearing nothing but rags, and it was visible that he had already taken a beating. They stopped a few feet away from the Elite, and placed the defeated human on his knees.

"His information." one of the guards said, giving Azrael a paper

Azrael quickly scanned through the paper's contents, her perfect expression, masterfully hid her rage, she knew what this man had done, but to read it only made it worse in her eyes. Giving the paper back to the guard, her right hand wrapped around the man's neck, forcing him to look back at her.

"You pig, was it not enough for you to kill the elven people, but you also had to rape the female soldiers? No wonder you are in your current condition." she hissed, letting go of him, causing the soldier to cough violently

"I…It is the only… thing they… are good for…" the human proclaimed, in-between his coughing

"Step away from him." Azrael ordered, and the two guards obeyed

"[Holy Fire]."

Azrael snapped her fingers as she said this, immediately multi-colored flames engulfed the man, before he could let out a pain filled cry, she placed her hand on his mouth, motioning him to be silent.

"You'll disturb the children."

The man squirmed and trashed in her hands, till the flames overwhelmed him, and the burned-up husk collapsed on the floor.

"Take him away."

"As you wish."


	57. The Calm Before the Storm

Ishmael sat in his throne, his chamber had a medieval theme to it, the room was dimly lighted, his servants, who were all vampires, were scattered all over the sides of the chamber, for the moment doing whatever they pleased. There was something about him that was unique amongst the Elite, he was the only one who had changed his appearance, he cut his long hair into its current form and dropped his original equipment for his suit.

Two of the female vampires, were sitting on each side of his throne, waiting for whatever his next command would be, however at the moment he was looking at the body in front of him. The body had been one of his servants, which he had used as a test subject for an experiment, what had once been a vampire was now a withering form on the ground, a husk devoid of life.

The experiment was a success, doing a simple waving motion some of his servants removed the body from his sight, shortly after an elf guard entered the chamber getting the Elite's attention.

"We have brought the prisoner you requested." the guard announced

"Bring her in and leave. My servants will take care of her." the Elite replied

The guard obeyed and with the help of another guard, brought the prisoner into the chamber, she was wearing light armor, it was understandable since she was a member of the Holocaust Scripture. Even now she trashed against the guards, so much so as soon as they released their hold on her, ignoring her restraints the prisoner tried to escape, even if it was impossible. Her efforts were cut short, when two vampires, one human based and the other elf based, restrained her, and dragged her to Ishmael's presence.

"How lively." the Elite remarked, as the prisoner was placed on her knees with in arms reach of him

"Screw you!" the woman growled back

"How dare you speak to your master like that!?" one of the female vampires hissed, going to slap the human

"That is not necessary." Ishmael said, his tone calm and composed, in a disturbing way

"My apologies." the servant said, quickly withdrawing her arm

"Now, my dear, why don't you tell us your name?" the Elite asked, reaching out to her

Instead of replying the woman, didn't move, that was till the vampire's hand was close enough to touch her, when she bit down on his hand. Ishmael didn't react, she lacked the strength to pierce his skin, but he felt the strength behind her bite, deciding to play along he retracted his hand.

"You, inhuman filth! I will never lower myself to the point of telling my name to the likes of you!" she growled defiantly

"You, insolent…" the female servant from before growled, stopping when the Elite lifted his hand to signal his intention of hitting her

"Enough!" he roared, causing silence to fall upon the chamber

"Now, I like that fight of yours. It's rare to see it in the people who are brought here…" he paused leaning down, so they would be at a similar level when their eyes meet

The prisoner tried to look away but found herself unable to do it, she was transfixed in his eyes as if they compelled her to look at him, a pleased smile formed on his face.

"Now tell me, what is your name?"

"Silvia. Silvia Hermon." she replied, in an almost mechanic manner

"My dear Silvia, approach."

Silvia nodded and began to get close to the vampire, all the while remaining on her knees, she stopped right in front of him, and waited for further instructions.

"Now present your neck to me." the Elite instructed, and the woman obeyed

"Good girl. Then, allow me to officially welcome you into my servants." Ishmael said, lowering himself into her neck

* * *

The discussion continued in Kaia's room, as they did the plan began to take shape, given the fact Sarya could use the item, they would go directly to the tunnels, from there they would meet up with the rest of the Sky Walkers. It was agreed that Alucard and his Brides, given their speed, would be the ones to activate the items that would create the portals for Mathius and his army to come to the capital.

"That all sounds easy enough. What about getting to the King?" Zeno asked, Alucard simply smiled, looking down at the [Gate] creator item that was in his hands

"Easy." the vampire remarked, throwing the item at the former Elite

"You want me to create a [Gate] to send us to the King?"

"Not exactly. I want you to place us inside of the Citadel, and somewhere not too far from where you think the King will be."

"Isn't that too risky?" Zesshi asked

"It is. From what we were told, the 3 strongest of the Elite won't leave the King's side unless ordered to, this isn't a situation we can handle with a simple assassination, and destroying part of the Citadel in order to separate the Elite from the King, would only cause unwanted destruction." Alucard replied

"Then why not just simply use a [Gate] to go into his throne room, and meet him and the Elite face to face?" the half-elf suggested

"Too many people fighting in one room. It could lead to a disaster."

"Wait. It could be possible, to have him agree to be left alone with Zesshi. And even be persuaded into letting Alucard stay with her." Zeno pointed out

"What about the Elite?" Talia asked

"He'll move them in order, to take care of the rest."

"Won't they attack us right there?" Zesshi asked

"I don't think so. They would be in the way of the King." Zeno replied

"That is not a bad idea. But it isn't the best course of action either." Alucard mumbled

"If we don't have a way to move the Elite, we can only try an appeal to the King's ego." Talia pointed out

"He by now should have been able to conclude who Zesshi is." Soora said

"A-Alright. Zesshi we will leave the part of convincing him to you." Alucard said

"If you insist."

"You could try and get him to distribute the fights so as to give us the advantage." Alucard suggested

"I'll do my best." Zesshi remarked, not sounding to excited to have to speak openly with Malekith

"Assuming that Raknoug will be dispatched to deal with Mathius and his forces, I won't consider him…" Alucard was interrupted by the Overlord himself

"Will I be able to fight this Raknoug?"

"Y-Yes. Assuming you are at the minimum level of an Overlord in YGGDRASIL, you should be at the same level." Alucard replied

"What if he isn't?" Thelsea asked

"Brain, Clementine will stay here and then go through the [Gate] at the same time as you, to help deal with whatever minions are thrown at you. But to handle Raknoug, they won't be of much help, best case scenario they will be distractions. Still I'm sure some of the members of your army will be able to help in that fight."

"I can help." Kaia pointed out

"I can't allow that. It will be too dangerous." Mathius said

"If you say we should be at a similar level, I will take your word for it." the Overlord added

"Next will be Ishmael. To fight him, Nyx is the best option. They should be at the same level, and Nyx is able to heal herself without using too many items, that will be important." Alucard said

"Why is that important?" Zesshi asked

"Ishmael is a master of at manipulating shadows, meaning he can turn the environment against you. Nyx has the necessary skills and speed to be able to deal with such a situation. However, he is also very capable with poisons, that is why it has to be someone who is a master at healing." Alucard replied

"What kind of poisons?" Nyx asked

"I'm not sure, but I know he has several at his disposal. That being said, keep physical contact to a minimum. And avoid his rusty broadsword, from what I know the poison is transmitted through it."

"Understood." Nyx said

"In the case of Azrael, I chose Touka. Azrael is a master at teleportation, and a powerful magic caster, primarily focusing on light based magic. To be able to fight an enemy who can so easily change her location, and is known for using barrage type attacks, I believe that your great speed will be critical."

"Leave it to me." Touka said

"Talia, Zeno, Soora, and Lottus, I will leave Set to you…" Alucard paused, looking around, his eyes lingering longer on Talia

"I suggest that Zeno, Soora, and Lottus provide support from a safe distance, while Talia deals with him at close range. If he uses any weapon it will be his scepter, outside of that he tends to use his abilities. The good thing here is that every time he goes to use them, his eyes will glow giving away he's about to attack." Alucard paused once more

"Set is the god of storms, desert, evil, chaos, and war, as we have seen he can summon storms as easily as anyone of you uses a spell, and he doesn't need to be outside to do it, even if the ones he creates indoors are weaker. Being associated with the desert he as an ability named [Desert Touch], meaning that once it is activated, anything he touches will wither, that is why you have to be very careful Talia. The effects won't be easily removed by a healing potion, normally it takes some time till using a potion actually has any effect, I think around a minute."

"I'll be careful. Do not concern yourself."

"He also possesses abilities similar to [Despair Aura] and [Pain Aura], which he can use without touching you. Now, when it comes to war, he can summon minions an army of them if he wishes, however the ones he summons tend to be weak, even the strongest aren't a cause for concern."

"We will deal with him." Talia said, confidently

"Easy for you to say." Zeno mumbled

"W-What about me?" Sarya asked

"Do you have any contacts inside the Citadel?" Alucard asked

"I do."

"Any of them with any political pull, that could be of use in trying to smooth over our takeover?"

"I-I think that is possible."

"Great. That will be your job."

The meeting continued, as they talked about a few details and other necessary preparations, after everything was set, Alucard informed them that they would be leaving in the morning. Everyone was dismissed and left to do as they wished. Alucard and Mathius went to determine where the portals for the army would be opened.

* * *

Brain went back to his room, where he started doing a few exercises, as much as he felt honored that Alucard had decided to bring him from Nazarick, the fact he was going to be helping Mathius didn't please him. So far, he had yet to be able to show how useful he could be, and the idea of having to deal with oversized bugs, wasn't in his mind the best way to showcase his abilities.

He was in the middle of swing when someone knocked at his door, and entered, not looking at the door, his mind went to the first person he could think off, to be bothering him like this.

"Clementine, I'm really not in the mood." he said

"In the mood for what?" the new arrival chuckled

"Touka!? My apologies." Brain remarked, ending his exercise, and looking at the Bride

"You didn't answer my question. What are you not in the mood for?" Touka asked, closing the door, and beginning to walk towards him

"To put up with her."

"As if saying that would have any effect on her." the vampire remarked, Brain simply shrugged

"Why are you here?" he asked

"Before the meeting you said you had some doubts. I was wondering if you still had them."

Brain looked at her for a brief moment, it was hard to get a proper read on her, at the moment he was actually having trouble if she was being serious or not.

"I-I see. Alucard must be making sure that everyone has their minds clear for the mission, tell him not to worry, I'm more than able to deal with some insects." Brain informed, putting on a confident expression

"Sorry to disappoint you but no. I came here out of my own accord." Touka remarked, walking pass him

"Neither the less, there is no reason to ask me about it. I'm more than willing and able, to do this."

"I'll believe it when I see it. So, what are you doing now? Some light training?" Touka asked, placing herself in front of him

"Yeah. I still haven't had the opportunity to have a proper fight, so I decided to do some training."

"Sounds fun. Mind if I join?" the Bride asked, taking a few steps back and assuming her stance

"A-Are you sure? I mean… I really can't train against someone who does have a sword, like me." Brain argued, to which Touka raised an eyebrow at

"Well, if that is the case. You'll just have to be extra careful with this defenseless body of mine." the vampire said, with a strangely innocent expression

"Alright…"

Brain took his stance and charged at Touka, the vampire didn't move until the last possible second, when she phased to the left and kicked Brain's leg right from under him, sending the human face first into the floor.

"Looking back, perhaps I'm the one that has to be careful."

"No… It's fine. I've taken worse bumps with Sebas." Brain said, stumbling back to his feet

"That's good to know. But unfortunately for you, I am not Sebas." Touka said, taking her stance once more

* * *

Alucard and Mathius had just finished organizing where the [Gates] would be opened, and were now on their out of the Overlord's laboratory, when Alucard stopped and asked Mathius something.

"Would it be possible for you to alter the items, in such a way that the user wouldn't need to indicate where it should be opened? Or it could be activated remotely?"

"Why are you asking me this now?" Mathius asked back, looking at the vampire

"Well… I'm considering the worst-case scenario."

"Which is?"

"We'll get attacked as soon as we arrive at those tunnels. It's just a bad feeling I have."

"I see. I think I can arrange something like that. However, it will take some time, so you will have to stay here an assist me." Mathius pointed out

"Let's get to work then."

* * *

Azrael, Set and Raknoug sat in their respective places on the Elite table, they had been summoned by the King and were now waiting for his and Ishmael's arrival. Not to long after they arrived, and immediately the 3 already in the room fell the air thicken with the Malekith's presence, something had displeased him. Azrael looked, noting the expression on Ishmael's face he seemed to be rather pleased with the situation, which means he had just done something that would better his stance with the King, and probably affect someone else's.

"I was just informed that some information was withheld from me." Malekith announced, taking his seat, and looking straight at Azrael

"I simply didn't wish to bother my Lord, with anything else besides his daughter. Certainly, the others are irrelevant, compared to her." the angel quickly informed

"However, when one of them knows the names Mines of Tartarus and YGGDRASIL, I would expect you to understand that I may have interest in that person." the King growled back

"M-My apologies!" Azrael said, taking several quick bows

"Now that I know of this, I will follow Ishmael's suggestion and treat Alucard, Nyx, Touka, and Talia as beings from YGGDRASIL, who may have the power to rival the Elite. Which means I will leave the disposal of the 3 women to the Elite, I want to deal with Alucard and my daughter personally."

"As you wish." Azrael said, still somewhat unnerved

"I was told there was new information." Malekith said, looking at Raknoug

"Yes. The member of the Sky Walkers that is with Zeeshi, has been seen in the underground tunnels, she arrived there via [Gate]." the insect informed

"It is safe to assume they will be using [Gate] to come here, and then use the tunnels to infiltrate the city." the vampire said

"The fact the elf was seen there, could have been an experiment to see if they could reach the tunnels." Azrael added

"I want the tunnels under watch at all times, if they do arrive there, Azrael I want them transported to my personal throne room." Malekith ordered

"As you wish."

"Till then I want everyone ready, to be called upon at any moment. Dismissed."

* * *

Night had fallen and most of the people in the Mines had gone to sleep, or to rest for the mission, Talia made her way towards her room when she walked pass the door that lead to Alucard's room, which was closed. She stopped, looked at the door, and considered if she should go and see if spending the night with him was possible, Talia approached the door, placing her hand on the doorknob. For a moment she hesitated, slowly turned the knob, the door opened and she entered the room, her eyes going to the empty bed, which was surprisingly looking as good as new, as if nothing had happened.

She gulped, solidifying her resolve she entered the room, as soon as she went pass the opened door, she heard a disappointed groan.

"What are you doing here!?" Zesshi growled, emerging from behind the door

"I could ask you the same thing." Talia argued back, with her usual calm demeanor

"That should be obvious, shouldn't it? I'm here for the same reason you are." Zesshi replied, walking pass the Bride and taking a seat on the bed

"Which means, you need to go." the half-elf added

"Ridiculous. I have as much right of being here as you, if not more." the vampire growled

"Don't make me laugh. Remember what I said? You are the mistress, you can't force your will upon mine. If I say that I will stay with him tonight, I will do just that."

"That would apply if you were the Queen, which at the moment you are not. Now, given the fact you have spent the most nights with him, it is only fair that I take this one." Talia argued, to which the half-elf gave her an almost triumphant smile

"I see. You are jealous because you have yet to spend a night wrapped in his arms. I'm sorry but I really can't do much about that."

"That is where you are wrong. I've had such an opportunity, long before you came along." Talia remarked

"…" Zesshi opened her mouth, but what interrupted by the new arrival

"Good evening." Thelsea said, standing by the entrance

Both women looked at the demon, and couldn't help but to blush and feel uncomfortable, the Succubus was wearing a pink nightgown, which hid little to nothing of her figure, and on her neck, was a cat collar.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, looking at the other two women

"W-What are you wearing?" Zesshi asked

"It's just something for Mathius, no need to worry about it." the woman replied, with a mischievous expression

"I-I see."

"I take it that both of you are waiting for Alucard?"

"I was, she was just leaving." Zesshi replied

"He's not going to come back here so soon, neither is Mathius for that matter. They seem to be working on something in the 5th floor, and don't want to be disturbed."

"Then, I'm going to stay here till he returns." Zesshi announced, laying back on the bed

"Do as you wish." with that Thelsea left

Talia looked at the opened door, then at Zesshi, her instincts told her that waiting here would only complicate things for her, so it would be better if she left, and perhaps wait for him somewhere else.

"I'm going to my room." Talia announced, leaving

"Finally." Zesshi mumbled

* * *

It was the middle of the night, everyone was already resting in their rooms, Sarya felt something touch her while she slept, someone shaking her shoulder gently, so she would wake up. Not putting too much urgency into what was happening, she lazily pushed the arm aside and slowly opened her eyes, in her dazed state she could only see a large black shape in front of her. When her eyes finally opened, the shape revealed itself to be Alucard, taken by surprised by the unexpected presence of the vampire, Sarya pushed herself up and away from him, letting out a surprised gasp as she did so.

"H-Have you come to ravage me, like you did with Zesshi and Talia!?" the elf asked, using her sheets to cover her body

An awkward silence fell around them, as Alucard gave her an expression that clearly showed Sarya, that was not his intentions, which much to Alucard's surprise was meet with something he could call disappointment.

"Is that what's going on through your mind?" Alucard asked, causing the elf's face to go red

"Y-Yes. I mean no, absolutely not! Why should I… why should you…" she replied, visibly flustered

"I see. So, this is all a misunderstanding?"

"Of course. Then…" Sarya paused, once more Alucard could see the hint of disappointment in her

"Why are you here?"

"I need you to take me to the capital." Alucard replied, revealing one of the items to her

"I thought the mission was only in the morning."

"It is. But we are going there now. Use this and place us somewhere outside the capital." he said, giving her the item

"Alright. Just let me put my equipment back on."


	58. Mission Begin

Alucard exited Sarya's room, having done what he wanted to do in the capital, Alucard wondered what he should do next, perhaps go see if Mathius was still working or go get some rest himself. As soon as he closed the door, Alucard felt eyes on him, looking to the right he saw that Talia was standing not too far out from him.

"I thought you would be resting, Talia." Alucard remarked

"My apologies, but I wanted to speak with you. I tried waiting for you in your room, however Zesshi did not permit me, taking the bed for herself. When Thelsea told us that you were working with Mathius, I thought that waiting for you in the room would not be the best option." Talia informed

"I see. What is it that you wanted to talk with me about?"

"I, Touka and Nyx, noticed that you seemed worried when the planning meeting ended. We decided that I should be the one to address the issue. Is there something worrying you, Alucard?" Talia asked

"I really can't get anything pass you, can I?" Alucard chuckled

"It is our duty, to look after Alucard's wellbeing."

"And you've all been doing great work. To be honest I was considering one of the worst-case scenarios, in which we get attacked as soon as we get there."

"Why would there be a need to consider such thing? We were told the tunnels were safe."

"So, we were told. If Raknoug can control all the insects in the area, there is nothing guaranteeing us that there aren't any in those tunnels, that saw when Sarya tested the [Gate]."

"Is that why you were exiting her room?"

"Yes. I had her open a [Gate] outside the capital's walls, I sneaked inside and placed the items in their respective locations. And with what Mathius created, they can be activated remotely, creating a portal to the specified locations."

"Then why not tell us? We could have helped."

"There was no point in worrying others with this, and having more than one person infiltrate the capital at night would have only heighten the risk of getting caught and captured."

"My apologies, for not understanding that you were only thinking about what was best for the group." Talia said, with a small bow

"There is no need for apologies, I did act on my own accord and you do have more reasons to worry about me than most." Alucard remarked, approaching her

"As your Bride…" Talia began, just to be silenced by Alucard placing his left index finger on her lips

"And lover."

Talia couldn't help but to let out an audible sob, her emotions began to overwhelm her, and soon she was letting out silent tears.

"A-Am I allowed such happiness? To be considered your lover?" she mumbled

"Are you questioning my tastes in women? Do you think I should not have taken you as a lover?" Alucard asked, causing Talia to blush slightly

"N-No, that was not my intention. As I said, I am very happy to be blessed with playing such a role in your life." Talia replied, looking shyly at the floor

"I'm glad. Now, let's go see get going back to my room." he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead, before grabbing on to her left hand

"A-As you wish." the Bride said, before practically letting herself be dragged off by Alucard

For a while Talia said nothing, she looked like a young school girl, her cheeks reddened and her head lowered with shyness, she was so lucky. Her lips curled into a large smile, to think that she, even after all she had done, was now able to have her love reciprocated by the man she loved, by one of the Supreme Beings, truly she was blessed.

"So, you said that Zesshi didn't let you stay in the room. Why's that?" Alucard asked, breaking up the silence

"I do not know. I believe she feels threatened by my presence." Talia replied

"And does she have a reason to be threatened?" he asked, with a laugh

"O-Of course not, I have no intention of placing myself between you and her. After all I am thankful, if it was not for Zesshi I wouldn't have been able to stand by your side, to this capacity."

"I wouldn't say that. I'm certain you would have done the same without any encouragement from her, sooner or later."

"I do not wish to contradict you, but you think to highly of me."

"And you think too little of yourself." Alucard pointed out, leaning down to give her another quick kiss on the forehead

"P-Perhaps…"

* * *

They continued making their way back to his room, soon reaching a happy back and forth, so when they entered the chamber, they didn't notice Zesshi, and her eyes glued on them.

"I knew it! You allowed me to believe you were going back to your room, when you were in fact going to hog Alucard's attention." Zesshi said, accusatorily, jumping off from bed

"That's nonsense. I just happened to cross paths with Alucard, if you want to blame anyone blame yourself. Since you chose to remain in this room." Talia remarked, tightening her hold on the True Vampire's hand

"Since you seem to have enjoyed so much time with him, now it's my turn." the half-elf pointed out, wrapping her arms around Alucard's free arm

"You have no right to call turns. Alucard will be with you if he wishes." the Bride said, causing Zesshi to look up at Alucard, causing him to gulp

"Well? Who will have a turn now?" she asked

"Zesshi, there's no point to putting up this jealousy act." Alucard pointed out, causing her to let go of his arm and cross her arms

"I'm not jealous… idiot! I just want to show her who the obvious choice is." the half-elf said

"I'm afraid you'll find that the choice won't be as obvious as you think." Talia remarked, also letting go of her superior's hand

"Is that so? Why would he choose someone as inexperienced as you? Alucard knows that I am much more capable of sharing a bed with him." Zesshi argued

"You may be experienced, however you know nothing of Alucard. I, that had been by his side for more time than you, am more able to tend to his needs, unlike you."

Seeing that the situation had taken a more personal turn, opening his arms he wrapped them around the two women, Zesshi in his left, Talia in his right, causing both of them to flinch slightly with surprise.

"I chose… both of you." Alucard announced

"Pervert." Zesshi mumbled

"Because, I love you both, equally. There is no reason for this bickering, when it will gain none of us nothing." he added

"I was simply defending myself." Talia pointed out

"You're making me look like the one that started all of this." Zesshi remarked

"And she isn't wrong. You have to admit it, Zesshi, you are making too much of a fuss over something you suggested, my little tsundere." Alucard chuckled

"You still haven't told me what that means."

"I'll tell you some other time. Now, why don't we go and get some rest?"

Alucard released his hold on them, placed his hands on their backs, followed by gently pushing them towards the bed.

"So, who wants to lay where?" he asked

"I say we should stay as we are." the half-elf replied

"Agreed." the Bride said

Alucard placed himself in the center, Talia to his right laying on her side her left hand grabbing on to his right, and her right arms placed on his chest, Zesshi was doing the same but on the left.

"This is… boring. Let's have some fun." Zesshi suggested raising her head, with a mischievous expression

Much to her surprise, and Talia's, Alucard was asleep, not just resting his eyes or meditating, but truly asleep. Zesshi considered trying to wake him up, but was dissuaded from that idea by the Bride and her own conscious, going back to her original position.

* * *

"I-Idiot. How can you fall asleep, when I can barely get any proper rest?" Zesshi mumbled

"Please, let Alucard rest. Even for a Supreme Being, the past few days must have been tiering." Talia remarked, softly caressing his cheek

"I know that. Still, I wanted to talk to him, before we went out." Zesshi sighed, facing away from Alucard and Talia

"What did you want to talk about?" the Bride asked

"Like I would tell you."

"You can, if you wish. It is as Alucard said, we have no reason to bicker. And, because of your decision, we will be together for a long time. We should try to know each other better, and get along." Talia said

Zesshi sat back up and looked down at the female vampire, who was still in the same position, resisting the urge to push Alucard, she sighed and spoke.

"I-I… I can't stop thinking that tomorrow I will be face to face with… Malekith."

Talia's mind went to what Alucard had told her, about one of the worst-case scenarios, Zesshi being nervous was natural, even she was in a similar state. How could she not be, seeing Alucard's expression, as he spoke of Malekith and the remaining Elite, it was painfully obvious that even he was fearful of what could happen.

"I understand that you may be nervous, but you must remember that Alucard will be by your side during the mission." Talia pointed out

"To think that I'm placing my life in the hands of a man who, under different circumstances, I could swat away without a second thought." the half-elf sighed, fixing a few strands of the male vampire's hair

"That is meaningless now. You just need to know that he will be there to help you when the time comes."

"I wish I could have such unshakable faith in him. I know he's strong, and would never say there was someone who could beat him, but in the face of Malekith and the Elite… I don't know."

"There is no one outside of Nazarick, that can beat Alucard, that much I can assure you. You should have more faith in the man who took you in, and accepted you as a lover."

"I almost beat him. I left him in a near death state during our fight." Zesshi pointed out

"However, you didn't fight Alucard when he was using his best equipment, or at his full power. If it wasn't for your Certain Death, he would have had no need to use his familiars."

Zesshi felt a chill go down her back, as she slowly laid back on the bed, those moments were still in her mind, the crazed look on Alucard's face and the army of the dead surrounding her.

"So even then he was holding back… idiot." she mumbled, wrapping herself around his arm

"I-I have something to say." Talia announced

"What is it?" Zesshi asked, with a yawn

"I want to thank you. For helping me to be able to serve Alucard fully." the Bride replied, to which Zesshi rolled her eyes at

"I just gave you a push. You did the most important part yourself."

"Still, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to do it."

"I'm sure, you would have done it eventually." the half-elf said, letting out another tiered yawn

Talia went silence, as she saw Zesshi slowly drifting to sleep, she kept still till she was sure the half-elf was asleep, letting out a weak sigh, she got as close as she could to Alucard, letting sleep overwhelm her as well.

* * *

Zesshi woke up alone in bed, sitting up she let out a loud yawn stretching her limbs as she did so, when a childish chuckle filled the air.

"How unsightly." Nyx remarked

Fully opening her eyes, Zesshi saw the young Bride standing in front of the closed door, rolling her eyes at the small vampire, Zesshi got back to her feet and began to approach Nyx.

"Alucard was wondering if we would have to leave without you."

"Did I oversleep for that long?" Zesshi asked, doing her best to fix her hair

"About 1 hour or so."

"Then, let's get going."

Walking pass Nyx, Zesshi opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, looking around she saw no one, letting out a small sigh, she looked back at the smirking Bride.

"Lead the way."

Walking in front of Zesshi, the Bride began to lead her to the 5th floor, where most of the others were already at. While they were still on the same floor, the half-elf saw Brain and Touka talking, as she got closer the conversation became clearer.

"So, how are you feeling?" Touka asked, sounding somewhat worried

"I'm fine. The potion did its work." Brain replied, sounding much calmer

"T-That's good. The last thing I need is Alucard scolding me for going overboard with our sparing session… Meaning you can't mention that we used a healing potion without permission, because of a stupid mistake."

"I wasn't planning on doing it." he pointed out, ignoring the approaching Zesshi and Nyx

"Good."

At that moment the other duo was just behind them, as Nyx walked pass her sister she playfully pushed her forwards, being caught off-guard Touka was sent into Brain who was then sent into the ground, resulting in both of them falling down.

"Shouldn't we…" Zesshi was about to say, but the small vampire simply pushed her forwards all the while giggling

Brain's left hand went to the back of his head, he had hit the ground hard, he tried to let out a pain filled hiss, just for it to be muffled. Focusing on what could have caused that, he noticed what his eyes seemed to have failed to pick up, Touka was on top of him, and in the fall their lips had, and still were, making contact. Their eyes meet, and Touka having also only now noticed what was going on, widened her eyes as she threw herself back, stumbling back to her feet.

"W-What…" Touka mumbled, her hand going to her lips, and her eyes going to Nyx in the distance

"You did this on purpose!" she growled, but was ignored

"A-And you…" the Bride hissed, looking down at Brain, seemed to be as shocked as she was

"Definably not a word about this!"

"O-Of course! It was just an accident… just a happy accident…" Brain mumbled, getting back up

Touka blushed slightly, as she closed the distance between them in less than a step, followed by wrapping her hand around his neck, to which Brain immediately placed his hands up in submission.

"Just kidding. Just kidding." he laughed nervously, resulting in Touka letting him go

"You better." she remarked, with a small cough

"S-Still… it wasn't that bad…"

"We're going." Touka announced, begging to walk away

* * *

Zesshi and Nyx were now on the 4th floor, the half-elf was thinking of the best way to break the awkward silence, even if Nyx was mumbling something, there was no talk. Then something came to her mind, she had seen it only a few times, and never to the extent she could imagine it going. The, what she called, darker side of the childlike Nyx, she remembered perfectly when she had it had been directed at her when they were in Alucard's closet. However that, even if it had disturbed her, had also caught her attention, so she decided that now should be as good a time as any to ask.

"Nyx, that time when we were in Alucard's closet… T-That side of you, why is it so different from your normal self?" Zesshi asked, not knowing how to approach the subject

"What do you mean, by normal side?" Nyx asked back, with a happy smile

"I mean, you normally aren't like you were that time, or those other times. I've seen you act seriously, but that was completely different, it was… darker."

Nyx vanished, just to reappear a few meters away from Zesshi, the half-elf was completely taken by surprise not expecting the sudden action, or amazing speed.

"People don't seem to like that side of me very much, they seem to prefer my more lighthearted, childish, side." Nyx said, with a mischievous, yet disturbing, smile

"Then, this is just a normal part of you?" the half-elf asked, to which the vampire gave her a curious expression

"Is it that strange? Just because I look like a child, it doesn't mean I am one. I hoped someone who was with Otō-san would know that much."

Zesshi bit her lip, ignoring the poison in the vampire's words, she swallowed the reply, and went to what she wanted to know before the fight, since she feared not being able to see it.

"Show it to me. That side of yours, there's no need to hold back."

"You want to feel my unfiltered bloodlust?" Nyx asked

"I don't see why not. I'm curious, and I don't think I'll get the chance to see it when the mission starts." Zesshi replied, calmly

Nyx gave her a thoughtful expression, all the while keeping her facial expression childlike, Zesshi knew that by this point Alucard and the others were waiting for them, Touka and Brain should be arriving at that spot soon enough.

"Ok. But it has to be quick."

Zesshi readied herself as the small vampire relaxed her body, the initial changes were immediate, the air became colder and somewhat heavier. This was followed by a light purple aura engulfing Nyx, the aura began to grow in all directions, turning darker as it went, till it reached the walls and ceiling. The air also became colder and heavier, Zesshi's heart was beating a thousand miles an hour, her skin was ice cold, her whole body was wavering under the unseen weights been placed on her shoulders. The air grew thicker, soon enough breathing seemed to become an issue, when falling on her knees seemed like the only option, a voice broke through.

"Nyx, that's enough!" Touka shouted, from behind her

The older Bride appeared right in front of Nyx, who immediately went back to her usual state, as if nothing had happened, however her expression was that of a child who had done something wrong.

"What were you doing!?" Touka growled

"S-She asked for it." Nyx replied, pointing at Zesshi

"Then she is much of an idiot as I thought. But that doesn't excuse what you did…." the older Bride pointed out, pausing when a [Gate] opened not too far from them

Nyx looked back, a chill going down her back, from the portal emerged Alucard, his face hidden by his hood.

"Nyx, do you care to explain what happened?" he asked, his tone strangely stern

"Zesshi asked me to show her my bloodlust. And I did so, against my better judgement." Nyx quickly replied, turning to face her creator

"Touka, Brain, go through this [Gate], it will take you to the others." Alucard ordered, which the duo obeyed

"Zesshi, how are you feeling?"

"…F-Fine. I'm feeling…fine." Zesshi replied

"I see. Nyx, that was very foolish of you, what you did could have been enough to put the whole mission at risk." the True vampire growled, visibly displeased with the situation

"M-My greatest apologies! I had no intention of jeopardizing the mission." Nyx said, desperately taking several apologetic bows

"You should know better than to let yourself get riled up by words alone. Leave your bloodlust for those who deserve it, now through the [Gate]." Alucard commanded, taking another bow Nyx did as she was told

"W-What's gotten into you? I was the one that asked for it." Zesshi pointed out, approaching Alucard, her legs still unstable

"Zesshi, every time I went out there, no matter what the mission was, be it the most righteous, or the most twisted of causes, I knew that my team was made off people who were ready. They may not have liked each other, but all of them knew that when the time came, there was no room for playing around, I knew that all of them went in there ready, be it body or mind." Alucard said, pausing

"Now, after what I just saw here, am I to believe you are mentally prepared?"

"I was born for this."

Was all Zesshi said, walking pass him in the direction of the portal, however Alucard placed his right hand on her left shoulder, leaning down into her right ear, before whispering.

"Then, why are your legs still shacking?"

"I-It's nothing. Let's just get this over with." she growled back, pushing his arm away

"Remember that you have to be at your best. When we are finished, the elves have to see who their next ruler will be."

"Either that or we will be dead." Zesshi retorted, going through the [Gate]

"Not when I get a say in the matter." Alucard mumbled, following after her

* * *

The [Gate] lead to a large open chamber, which was used by Mathius to test his creations, it would now be used to open the portal to send them into the tunnels, and then to open the portals to send the army into the capital. They stayed 10 minutes in that room, better preparing themselves for what was about to happen, everyone was there except Kaia and Thelsea, who would be watching the mission from Kaia's room using a Mirror of Remote Viewing.

"Remember Mathius, start counting as soon as we leave." Alucard said, looking at the Overlord

"Worry about yourself, Alucard."

Sarya opened the [Gate], and everyone except Mathius, Brain and Clementine walked through, Alucard and Sarya were the last to go through, with the vampire going in first. As soon as Sarya stepped into the tunnels, a golden array formed under them, acting quickly Alucard pushed Sarya back into the [Gate], before the light engulfed them.

"What happened!?" Mathius growled, approaching Sarya

"W-They were attacked." she replied, visibly shaken by what had happened

"What? We have to do something." Brain remarked, surprisingly the elf shook her head

"No. Alucard had expected as much."

"Then what do we do~?" Clementine asked

"We do as we planned." the Overlord replied

Alucard, Zesshi, Talia, Touka, Nyx, Lottus, Soora and Zeno, found themselves in a large circular throne room, there were two large windows to their sides, a large door behind them, in front was the throne itself. Sitting on it was the Elf King, Malekith, to his left was Set and Ishmael, to his right Azrael and Raknoug, the King leaned with a smile on his face.

"Welcome."


	59. Initial Clash

Sarya ran through the tunnels, she was looking for the chamber used by the Sky Walkers as a base, which was also on the way to the surface, soon enough she reached the chamber and much to her surprise it almost looked abandoned. Outside of a few elves hastily packing some supplies and equipment, the chamber looked like it had been picked clean, one of the elves approached her, he looked middle aged, with short silver hair.

"Where have you been!? Where are the others!?" he asked

"T-They are dead… they are all dead." Sarya replied, as if the reality of the situation had only now made itself known

The male elf, whose name was Eldar Leoven, took a few steps back, his expression turned from worried and panicked, to serious and collected, his right hand slowly going down to the dagger on his side.

"Why are you alive then?"

"I-I was saved, by a group that was making their way here."

"Where are they now?"

"They were attacked as soon as we arrived at the tunnels, I think they were transported to the King." Sarya replied, her eyes going to the male's right hand

"Then they are dead." Eldar pointed out

"They aren't that weak. Thanks to them only 4 of the Elite remain." she growled back

"Why were they coming here?"

"One of them, is the King's lost child, she is here to take over." to this Eldar began to laugh, almost in desperation

"And what can they do against the King!? You should be doing like the rest of us and leaving."

"Leaving!? Why? Where to?"

"Our informant inside the Citadel says that the King may send someone down here soon, we have to leave before he does it."

"I'm not leaving. They gave me a mission and I will see it through. The only question is if you will help me?" Sarya asked

"If we help you, it will mean the end for the Sky Walkers! Who will help those who want to get away from this godforsaken place then?" Eldar growled back

"T-They will. She is not alone, there are others in that group who are stronger than she is. If you trust me on this, if we help them, they will change this!"

"How can you be so sure? She may just end up being another tyrant like her father."

"She's not. She hates him, and is more than willing to fight him, all of them are. Will you help me?"

"Help you do what, exactly?"

"They want me to go and talk to some of our political contacts, and try to smooth over their takeover."

"If you want I can help you get to the Citadel, but I'm not risking going inside." Eldar said, his expression softening

"Then lead the way, the sooner we get this done the better."

* * *

Malekith stared down the group that stood near the door, he could feel the power in those that had been pointed out to him before, for the first time since he arrived in this world, it seemed like things were about to get interesting.

"Azrael, get rid of those who are not needed." he ordered

"Wait!" Zesshi growled, taking a step forward

Azrael payed no attention to this, and went ahead with her orders, just for Malekith to motion her to stand down.

"Do you have something you wish to say? Something that concerns the ants you bring with you?" Malekith asked

"My name is Zesshi Zetsumei, and we came here to free this kingdom from your rule…" Zesshi began, but the King amusingly spoke over her

"And get revenge for what I did to your mother?"

Zesshi gritted her teeth, the hold on her scythe, that currently rested on her right shoulder, tightened, as she held back the urge to attack. Every word he said, every move he made, sickened her, even if he hadn't raped her mother, there was something about him that was absolutely sickening.

"Yes. That is why I am here." she growled

"How selfish of you, child. And here I thought you simply wanted to help your fellow elves, to lead a revolution against the big, bad, King." Malekith chuckled

"But there is no need to worry, I will be properly teaching you, when I get rid of those who aren't necessary." he added

"Do they worry you? Is that why you want to get rid of them so quickly? Do you fear that the ones that have chosen to take my side, are stronger than those you have chosen to take yours?" Zesshi asked, causing Malekith to raise an eyebrow at her

"What are you saying?"

"You said that you will "teach" me. Why not have what remains of your Elite, "teach" the rest of my group? Certainly, they should be able to do that much." she argued, causing the elf to laugh

"And how do you propose we do that? Just so you know Alucard is to remain here too." the King asked, leaning back on his throne

"Nyx, will battle Ishmael. Touka, will battle Azrael. The others, will fight Set."

"What about Delta?"

"I can deal with a simple insect." Alucard replied

"I'm sure you can." Malekith mumbled

"My lord, please do not listen to her words. She wishes to be left alone with you, it is too much of a risk." Azrael pointed out

"Do you doubt me!?" he roared, his voice echoing through the chamber

"N-No, of course not. My apologies."

"Now, you've heard what my daughter said, now send the member of the Elite and their respective opponents back to their private chambers." he ordered

Yellow circular arrays formed under the members of the Elite, except Raknoug, and everyone else, outside of Zesshi and Alcuard, they vanished shortly after in a flash of light.

* * *

"Now, Alucard would you like to tell me a bit about yourself? Since you are a being from my world." Malekith asked

"I doubt you would be that interested in me. Just know that I meet your creator, and the one that created the gauntlet you are hiding under your robes." Alucard replied, motioning to his hidden right hand

"But certainly, you were part of a guild. What about your level, you seem to be strong."

"I'm a level 100. And I am a member of Ainz Ooal Gown."

"The name is familiar, my creator didn't seem to be too fond of it, or anyone else for that matter."

"You don't seem to hold him in high esteem." the vampire remarked

"How can I? Someone so pitiful as to resort to creating me, when he himself failed to draw any followers. He might as well have admitted that he failed his purpose, and since there was no one else to continue his work, he had to create the one to do it."

"What about Arcany, and the others that you killed?" Alucard asked

"Arcany was a fool! I admit that he was a genius at what he did, I still imagine what I could have achieved if he had agreed to join me. But no, he was a stubborn fool, who held himself too high for his own good."

"You seem to have issues with those that oppose you." Zesshi chuckled

"They make me waste my time, so yes I do. Now, will the both of you make me waste my time, or will you be smarter than that?"

"I am sorry to say, but I am rather stubborn and set in my ways." his daughter remarked

Malekith sighed, the Elf King slowly lifted himself from his throne, Zesshi couldn't help but see a giant raising from his resting place, he was imposing that much she couldn't deny. Moving his left hand, ever so calmly, he drew a chokutō, the blade made a few sparks as it exited the sheath, it was the World Class Item, Kusanagi.

"My Lord, the Capital is being invaded." Raknoug informed

"By who?"

"An undead army. Four portals opened in the city, one on each main street, there seem to be two humans among them." the Elite replied, to which the King laughed

"Deal with them. Use your hive to do it."

"It will take some time to get our forces to the surface…" Malekith quickly spoke over the Elite

"The city and its inhabitants are dispensable. Do as you wish."

Taking a small bow, the Elite throw itself out of a window, seemingly falling into the ground bellow, and finally leaving Malekith alone with Zesshi and Alucard.

"Shall we begin?" the King asked, not even bothering to take a stance

"Would you mind some music?" Alucard asked, showing his music box to the King

"Do as you wish, I want your final moments to be as pleasant as possible. But do not worry, I have no intentions of killing you, Zesshi. That is if you behave."

"I'll behave when I take your head." she hissed back at him

"So be it."

"I'm ready. Zesshi, just give the order and we'll begin." Alucard said, activating the random function on his music box

"Let's do this."

 **Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic - Enfin Apparu**

Both Alucard and Zesshi revealed that in their lefts hands they were holding small figurines, without excitation they crushed them, suddenly both were engulfed in a blinging flash, that in no way fazed Malekith. When the light faded, he saw that his opponents were now wearing different armor, Alucard was in his Blood Armor, while Zesshi was wearing the new equipment Alucard had given her.

[Remember what I told you, Zesshi.] Alucard said, via his earpiece

[I know.] Zesshi said, via her earpiece

* * *

Touka found herself in Azrael's private chambers, behind her was the closed entrance door, on the other side of the room, standing in front of a throne, was her opponent, other than the angel the room was empty.

"I offer you one opportunity to submit, and live." Azrael announced

"That's a very generous offer, but I'll have to pass." Touka remarked, stretching her limbs

Azrael lowered her head slightly, just enough for her hair to hide her eyes, looking at the closed door to her right, she knew that the fight would have to be contained in this chamber, going beyond it would put her "servants" in danger.

"Do you want to get started?" Touka asked, taking her stance

"If you insist."

"Just so you know, I'm Touka."

"Beta Elite, Azrael."

Touka charged at her opponent, however there was something she did not know, and Alucard perhaps thinking of the NPC within the restraints of the game failed to think off. Azrael was a master teleporter, meaning her mind and eyes, were beyond even some of those stronger than her, in those eyes Touka's trajectory was basic, at best.

"[Holy Fire]." she said, snapping her fingers in Touka's direction

The Bride quickly threw herself back, stumbling back as she landed on the floor, that was an unexpected outcome, had she held back on her speed, no that was not it. A weak laugh escaped her lips as she understood what had happened, this Azrael had just seen through her speed, which may prove to be troublesome.

* * *

Nyx looked around at the shadow filled chamber, all around her were low level vampires, human level strength, but not strong enough for her to consider them a problem, at least not 1 on 1. Standing near the throne, was her opponent Ishmael, who was now taking a seat, transmitting to her the idea he had no wish to fight, at least for now.

"What is your name?"

"Nyx"

"Well, Nyx, I am Ishmael. The Gamma Elite."

"Why don't you join us? You would be much better off in the winning side." he asked, leaning back and intertwining his fingers

"Winning side?" she asked, cocking her head to the side

"Yes, child."

"That has yet to be decided." Nyx growled back, taking her stance

"I see. Kill her."

At his command the vampires that surrounded her ran at the small Bride, even if she managed to kill some before they got close, she was soon overwhelmed and drowned in a pile of bodies.

* * *

"Kneel." Set ordered, his eyes glowing green

That was enough, Talia, Lottus, Zeno, and Soora fell to their knees, as the god stood high near his throne, they weren't the only ones affected, all the servants that were bathed in the light, were in the same state.

"I am the Alpha Elite, Set." he announced, his voice echoing through the area

"I-If we s-stay like this… w-we won't g-win…" Lottus mumbled, trying to fight against the overwhelming force that held him in place

Talia gave a him a firm nod, blue flames engulfed her lower arms, revealing red colored, flame decorated, gauntlets. Placing all strength and willpower she could muster into her limbs, Talia slowly began to push herself back up, all the while keeping eye contact with Set, to show him her will to fight.

 **Bleach – Treachery**

"You pit your puny will against mine?"

"Yes!" Talia growled back

"Kneel!" Set ordered

Talia stopped momentarily, however did not go back to her kneeling position, she simply froze but kept her defiant expression, further infuriating the Elite.

"In my presence, you are an ant, a termite. Abase yourself, you groveling insect."

Set focused his attention on her, mistakenly lifting his hold on the others, being face with his full power Talia was sent to all fours, giving Lottus the opening he needed to throw a [Fire Javelin] at Set, just for a strong gust of wind to disperse the fiery projectile.

"You think such puny distractions would be enough to distract me?" Set, asked looking up from Talia to Lottus

Taking advantage of her newfound freedom, Talia ran up to Set, ready to deliver a devastating blow, just for the Elite to lift his left hand to her so as to grab her. Quickly remembering his [Desert Touch], Talia threw herself back, landing in front of the others, leaving Set to let his arm fall to the side, all the while laughing mockingly.

"You bore me."

Two pillars of sand took form to Set's left, and two others to his right, the sand turned black and the pillars collapsed, forming two large mounds of sand. The piles started to move, the sand slowly took shape, that of what seemed to be smaller versions of Set, all of them equipped with several different types of weapons. When the beings were fully formed, there were a total of 20 of them, all standing in a line in front of their master.

"Get rid of them."

* * *

Mathius, Clementine, and Brain stood on top of a building, they watched as the undead army slowly, occupied the city's streets, so far they had only meet resistance in the form of guards, which were easily being dispatched. However, they were worried about the figure they saw falling from the Citadel, which had landed somewhere in between houses vanishing.

"This is no fun~" Clementine remarked, looking at the advancing army

"Just be thankful we have yet to find any trouble." Brain pointed out

Suddenly the ground started to shake, given the sudden movement they momentarily lost their footing, the air was then filled with the sounds of something cracking, Mathius walked to the edge of the building, to look at the main street that was in front of them. Even with his forces walking over it, he could see the ground beginning to be pushed upwards, as if something was trying to break through. For a moment there was silence, till finally something burst out from the ground, creating a large open crack on the floor, Mathius moved his head up to take a good look at the creature that had emerged from underground, it was a centipede. The part of the insect's body that was exposed, was easily able to match the size of even the tallest building in the city, outside of the Citadel, however it was not alone, from the whole several large ant like creatures began to emerge, swarming Mathius's undead forces.

"We just lost one [Gate]!" Brain said

"Now this is what I was waiting for~" Clementine chuckled, looking down at the other side of the building, seeing the insects begin to climb towards them

"[Hand of the Puppeteer]." Mathius growled

Raising his right hand towards the giant centipede, the creature almost immediately stopped moving, as if it was frozen in place, in reality even with its size, it was weak enough for him to control its body.

"How… disappointing." he mumbled

As he was about to begin controlling the creature, something crashed into him, sending the Overlord flying into Brain, which also got Clementine's attention, however all eyes soon went to what had crashed into them.

"Are you the leader of this army?" it asked

"My name is Mathius Dupree. You will be wise to remember it." the Overlord replied, getting back to his feet

"The King wishes for your, and your army's, destruction. We Raknoug, the Delta Elite, shall deliver it."


	60. Shadows of Gamma

Alucard, Zesshi and Malekith stood in the throne room, if one was to take only them into consideration they would say that they had yet to move since the fights started. However looking around, one would see, the scorch marks and small craters on the floor and walls, indeed there had been a confrontation in this room. Alucard and Zesshi had attacked the King together, and the both of them had failed to even give Malekith an excuse to move from his original postion, after he got up from his seat. Of course, the duo had not gone all out, the first wave of attacks was just to get an idea of what the elf could do, and so far, things were looking as bad as Alucard had feared.

"Is that all you've got, child?" Malekith asked, with a small yawn

"Far from it." Zesshi growled back, gritting her teeth

"Good. Because if that was all you had… even your mother put up a better fight." he chuckled

"You…" she hissed, getting ready to charge, just to be stopped by Alucard

"Keep it under control." he remarked, placing a hand on her shoulder

"I know." Zesshi mumbled, brushing his hand away

"So be it, I will go to you." Malekith informed

 **Naruto Shippuden - Uchiha Madara Theme**

Malekith moved, lunging at the duo he went for a straight downwards slash, Alucard quickly pushed Zesshi aside and jumped away from Malekith himself. It was the smart thing to do, either he or Zesshi's weapons wouldn't last that long taking direct hits from the World Class Item. The elf placed one of his feet on the ground, and threw himself in Zesshi's direction, acting quickly Alucard closed the distance between himself and the King, bringing Shi down on his head.

Shi was a few inches away from making contact, when Malekith spun around wrapping his free hand around the vampire's face, followed by smashing him head first into the ground. Zesshi went to aid Alucard, Malekith placed the tip of Kusanagi on the floor resulting in a wall of electricity rising between himself and his daughter. The half-elf let out a painfilled cry, showing that her armor wasn't able to properly protect her from energy, as she was sent flying into a wall, then collapsing on to the ground.

Having lost Shi when his head was driven into the floor, Alucard placed both hands around Malekith's arm, a response to the growing pressure being applied on his skull. The vampire, tried to kick his opponent, to move his legs in such a way to be able to place Malekith in a armbar, however his current positioning didn't allow him to do much. The sound of something cracking echoed through the air, as Malekith's thumb pushed the right side of Alucard's jaw two far, breaking it in the process.

"[Fireball]!" Zesshi shouted

An explosion covered Malekith's back, engulfing it in flames, however the King simply let out a tiered sigh, letting go of Alucard he turned around to face his daughter.

"Such fire, a shame you decided to throw it away, the moment you side with them."

"Don't look down on me!"

Letting out a primal roar the half-elf charged at her opponent swinging her scythe at him, Malekith calmly grabbed on to hit and kicked her back into the same wall, she had been sent into just a few moments ago. Throwing the weapon away, he began to approach her, seeing her on all fours currently unable to even get back to her feet, reminded him of her mother, the feeling made the blood rush through his body.

"You should think of something new to say, like your mother did. At first, she said things like "Get away from me!", "You monster!", "You will never break me!", but after some time she sounded more like "More, please give me more!", "Fill me up with your c…"

Malekith's words were cut short when Alucard wrapped his arms around his waist, taking advantage of the King being distracted, the vampire managed to lift his opponent and suplex him into the ground. He then quickly rolled to Zesshi's side, Shi already on his hand, however his small moment of triumph was short lived, as the King was already back to his feet.

"Not bad, not many are able to do what you just did, you truly should be proud." Malekith chuckled

"There's no need to by shy, there's more from where that came from." Alucard remarked

A smirk formed in Malekith's face as he attacked once more, like before Alucard pushed Zesshi to the side, in the direction of her scythe, so he was the one to take the full force of the King's attack, the force sending him into the wall. The force was such that the vampire was practically imbedded into the structure, immobilizing him for the time being, so once again Malekith's attention fell on his daughter.

* * *

 **Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 - Titanic Struggle**

Touka continued to avoid the several spells Azrael threw at her, lucky for her the columns were perfect as both protection and platforms to jump off from, with each jump she got closer and closer. When she saw that Azrael should have nowhere to go, Touka threw herself at the angel, suddenly a golden array formed under Azrael and she vanished, resulting in Touka landing in front of the throne.

"Not a bad strategy, it could have worked against anyone else." Azrael pointed out, now standing in the middle of the chamber

"I'll take the complement." Touka remarked

Touka vanished running straight at the angel, Azrael prepared herself to unleash another spell, however this time the vampire stopped right in front of her, jumping upwards. Azrael looked up to see Touka running from pillar to pillar, seemingly without an objective, drawing a golden array with her right hand she pointed at it with her left, and said.

"[Holy Fire]."

A matching array formed right in front of Touka, having no time to react, the Bride was hit by the full effect of the spell engulfing her in multi-colored flames. Losing her sense of direction mid jump, since her front was now covered in fire, Touka crashed into a column, before falling into the ground bellow, where the flames finally subsided and vanished.

"Give up…"

Azrael's words were cut short when a projectile flew pass her, giving her a small cut on her left check, jumping away from Touka her eyes went to the projectile, which was stuck in one of the pillars, it was a crimson colored crystal dagger.

"[Corruption Daggers], simple name, simple design. Yet rather useful against beings of a heavenly persuasion." Touka pointed out, turning to face her opponent

The damage caused by [Holy Fire] was visible, there were burns in the front of the vampire's equipment, and a few lighter burns on her now exposed face, in the end it wasn't that significant damage.

* * *

Ishmael rested leaned back on his throne, watching his vampire servants pile up on Nyx, for a while nothing happened, to the point he was starting to fear she was actually dead. When suddenly the top of the pile exploded upwards in an amazing display of limbs and gore, followed by a similar display from the group that separated her from him. The Elite blinked once, which was enough for when he opened his eyes for Nyx to at arm's length from him. The Bride had extended her right arm, so her hand was just a few inches from Ishmael's eye, ready to blind it, when a black tendril emerged from the throne's shadow.

Nyx threw herself back landing next to the large crowd of remaining servants, who lunged at her once more, she spun around to take in the numbers and from where they were attacking, taking her stance she went on the offensive. Ishmael watched on as the vampire which looked like a child, slaughtered her servants with surprising ease, to the point it no longer entertained him, or had any point to it.

"Enough! Fall back." he ordered

His servants obeyed going back to the side lines, leaving Nyx alone standing on top of a pile of corpses, holding 6 heads in her hands, 3 on each hand.

"I wonder if Otō-san would like these." she mumbled, before shrugging and dropping them

"Shall we start? I mean properly this time." the Elite asked, getting up from his throne

Ishmael reached behind his throne and revealed a rusty broadsword, Nyx took her stance and primed her senses, as the Elite had said the real fight began now. She jumped at him, just for several tendrils to emerge from every shadow in the chamber, acting quickly she forced her landing, followed by throwing herself upwards, summoning her silver saber she began to clash with the ones that got close.

 **Bleach - La distancia para un duelo**

Touching the ceiling with her free hand, she placed her feet on the ceiling, propelling herself towards the Elite, who replied by moving the tendrils back so she would have a clear path to him. Getting close to the male vampire, she brought her blade down on him, which was blocked by his own blade, applying some pressure on her saber she used him as a platform to jump over Ishmael, landing behind him. Going for a spinning slash, Nyx's blade was once more blocked by the Elite, who managed to get a kick in on her, sending his opponent staggering backwards.

The Elite followed it up with a simple thrust, to which Nyx jumped and landed on top of the drawn sword, and went for a straight stab of her own, that failed to land as Ishmael dodged and Nyx jumped away from him. As she was preparing to attack, the Bride felt more tendrils moving towards her, moving away to escape them, Nyx ended up falling into her opponent's trap, Ishmael's blade managed to slice through her right arm. Reacting to the sharp pain that went through the Bride used her great speed, to avoid the incoming tendrils and go back to the center of the chamber, distancing herself from Ishmael.

"It is over. My poison is already in you."

Nyx materialized a potion, however her opponent had already expected this, as the tendrils went after her once more, forcing Nyx to keep moving around without being able to take the potion.

"Let me explain what this particular poison does. When it comes to the undead, I find there are fewer options then with living beings. So, I opted to use something that would induce necrosis, which in this case will begin with your right arm."

Nyx avoided a barrage of tendrils, however the potion was lost, all the while feeling her right arm begin to weaken, so much so she was now holding her weapon in her left hand. Gritting her teeth, she acted upon the immediate threat and sliced through her right arm, stopping the poison from spreading.

"Not the smartest of moves, but a fascinating one none the less." the Elite chuckled

* * *

 **Hunter x Hunter 2011 - Soldier Ants**

The building where Mathius, Clementine, Brain, and Raknoug were standing was now partially destroyed, it was the result of the Overlord's initial spell to get some distance between them and the Elite, which seemed to have worked. Outside of some elven guards that were still fighting, the streets were being flooded by the ant like creatures, the skies were also patrolled by other winged insects, the giant centipede easily made a path through the undead forces. There were other insects on the ground, 3 of them were the War Beetle, which were tank sized beetles, 2 were yellowish in color meaning they used electricity, the other was reddish signifying fire.

Brain and Clementine were working with the undead forces to deal with the hive's residents, while Mathius was trying to find a decent place to fight Raknoug. The Elite however didn't move from its current location on top of a building, since it had his forces following the Overlord, as he watched the chaos, two elves approached him, one of them was the commander of the guards.

"What are our orders?" the commander asked

"Deal with the invading army." the Elite replied

"B-But what about the rest, they have overrun the capital, some of my men have reported they have even attacked some guards and civilians!" the elf growled back

"The King, doesn't see any more worth in this city, or it's people." the Elite informed

"Is he leaving us to die!? All the while raging his wars in our city, in our homes!?" he roared back

"Correct."

The commander gritted his teeth, his hand moving down to the hilt of his blade, Raknoug let out a low hiss before turning around with lightning speed. With a simple motion the Elite swatted away the elf's head, the other elf, the lieutenant, opened fire with his arrows which simply bounced off Raknoug. Grabbing one of the incoming arrows, it spun around sending it back to its source, and through the lieutenant's heart.

The centipede continued its rampage through the undead forces, some tried to stop it but none so far had the necessary power to actually hurt the creature, that was till something crashed down in front of it, lifting a large cloud of smoke.

 **Resident Evil 2 - T-B**

Ragnarok let out a loud roar, as it emerged from the cloud of smoke running at the massive insect, not seeing a reason to stop the centipede continue its advance, resulting in a clash. Shockingly, it stopped in the face of Ragnarok's considerable strength, ramming it's claws into the creatures side, the undead being tried to push it back. However their strength seemed to be evenly matched for the time being, that was till the insect stabbed him in the sides with its mandibles.

Letting out a loud roar, Ragnarok removed its claws from the centipede's side, clenched his fists and proceeded to bring them down into the top half of the insects head, after several blows it began to cave in, with a foul smelling liquid emerging from the massive wound. The centipede collapsed shortly after, failing to deliver any kind of significant damage to the undead being.

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - The Man of the Reversed Cross**

Mathius stopped on top of another building, it was further away from the main fight, so it looked to be the best place to isolate his soon to be foe, after all it didn't take long for Raknoug to appear.

"[Lightning Bolt]!" the Overlord shouted, beginning his attack

Using it superior speed the insect easily dodged the bolt, and closed the distance with the Overlord, landing a right hand in Mathius's chest sending him into the ground. The Elite jumped at its fallen foe, who managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid the blow.

"[Fire Stream]!"

Lifting his right-hand flames emerged from his open palm, yet again the attack failed to make contact as the insect managed to safely avoid the spell. Rolling back to his feet, Mathius prepared himself for whatever came next, however he knew that with an opponent as fast as Raknoug winning would be difficult.

The Elite lunged at Mathius, slashing at his robe before the Overlord could distance himself, however taking advantage of the sudden closeness he called upon [Fire Stream], this tine fully bathing the creature in flames. Wild screeches filled the air, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor, stopping his attack, Mathius looked dumbfounded at what seemed to be Raknougs burnt body.

"You don't fool me that easily."

Kicking the body so it was now on it's back, he saw that it was but an empty shell, left behind in the Elite's escape.

"Troubling. Most troubling." Raknoug said from behind him


	61. Resolve to Fight a God

**Hunter X Hunter 2011 - Obvious Difference Of Power**

Zesshi fell on her back, having been thrown by Malekith, she was already trying to get back up when Alucard fell on top of her, having also been thrown by the King. She looked down at her lover, it pained her to see him in that state, it also pained her to see him in worse shape than her. Zesshi was covered in minimal scratches, after all she had only been thrown around for the most part, taking everything into consideration she had received little damage, on the other hand Alucard's armor was covered in scratches and dents, his face also had a few scratches and bruises. She knew precisely why this was the case, she had attacked the King several times, but most of the times when it seemed like the attack could be dangerous, Alucard would save her, many of the times taking the damage himself.

[How are you holding up?] Alucard asked

[I-I'm holding up fine… Thanks to you.]

[T-That's…]

"…good." Alucard said, getting back up

"Have you perhaps come up with a strategy to fight me?" Malekith chuckled

"Shi. Awaken!"

 **Berserker 2017 - Ash Crow**

Zesshi gulped and felt a chill going down her back at the sound of those words, a black aura wrapped around the vampires body, the air grew cold and heavy, as the black mass moved upwards into the ceiling. Having nowhere else to go, the aura covered the ceiling, making a terrifying display that seemed to amuse Malekith, Alucard took a deep breath and took his stance, before the aura could disperse.

"Releasing Control Art Restriction Systems 3... 2... 1, approval of Situation A recognized. Commencing the Cromwell invocation. Ability restrictions lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered silent."

The aura that was covering the ceiling bent, and shot itself back into Alucard, completely swallowing him in a pillar of dark energy. The pillar shifted and pulsed in the center of the room, like it was alive, releasing large bursts of energy from time to time, nearly hitting both Zesshi and Malekith. Suddenly the mass was sucked inwards, being absorbed back into Alucard, the process continued till only the aura fully hid Alucard's body, leaving only his outline.

Then it dispersed, however the atmosphere didn't get any more pleasant, Alucard stood in the center of the room, a black fire like aura covered him, leaving with an overall darker appearance, his hair was now raven in color, as were his eyes.

"A-Alucard?" Zesshi mumbled

"That's me." the vampire chuckled, with a noticeably deeper tone

"That's it! Attack me with that." Malekith growled

Both fighters lunged at each other, their blades meeting halfway the resulting shockwave filling the entire room, causing the structure to shake. Alucard took a few steps back, Shi moving back with no visible damage, before he went back on the offensive. What followed was an exchange of several attempted blows, since each slash was avoided by the other, it reached such a speed that Zesshi couldn't see their arms moving, it was as if they had vanished.

After what felt like an eternity, cuts began to appear in Alucard's armor, while Malekith was covered in simple scratches, even if Zesshi hadn't seen it, in such a short time, they had traded more than a thousand attacks. After all, at the moment, it was the fight between two beings who had transcended the limits of a level 100, even if in the end Malekith still had the upper hand, Alucard was saved by his greater combat experience.

Alucard saw the King's movements, they were strong, fast, and most certainly deadly, however they were simple in their nature, he was lucky that Shi had survived the first clash. In his current state his items also suffered a boost, still he was not sure it was enough to clash with Kusanagi. He continued to change blows, till he saw it, the opening he had spent all this time searching for, with one downwards swing he sliced through Malekith's necklace, the one that protected him from physical damage. Like he expected the King replied immediately, with an electrically charged horizontal slash, sending Alucard flying across the room and through the front door.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Malekith remarked, walking towards Zesshi

Surprisingly Alucard stumbled back into the room, his aura was gone, but his hair and eyes were still black in color, however the part of his armor that had been hit by the attack was burnt and melted. The vampire took slow and heavy steps, his right hand weakly holding on to Shi, he fell on his knees next to Zesshi, his breathing labored, gasping for air, the half-elf kneeled next to him right away.

"A-Alucard, a-are you ok?" she asked, visibly desperate

"I-I'm… fine… Keep a-an eye on… him." Alucard mumbled back

"Yes, child, you would live longer." her father remarked

* * *

 **Boku no Hero Academia - Rampaging Evil**

A large storm cloud hovered over Set's throne room, it had been summoned by the Elite himself, to facilitate the use of the rest of his weather-related powers. So far Set had yet to move, while the ones that were there to kill him had only been able to succeed in one thing, dodging.

"[Chain Dragon Lightning]!" the siblings shouted

Like all the others their attack was blocked, by a wall of lightning that fell from above, Talia made her away around the resulting explosion, trying to attack Set which got his attention. Turning to face her, with his glowing eyes, the Elite reached out to her with his right hand, which she easily dodged, clenching her left fist she went for a straight punch, just as an unmeasurable weight fell on her.

Talia's body seized up, her senses dulled for just long enough, for Set to wrap his left hand around her face and activate [Desert Touch], all the while keeping her still with his other abilities. The Bride let out a hellish scream, feeling the corroding properties of the Elite's touch, her skin and muscle giving way under Set's power, she called up all her strength just to try and break free of his hold, however the sensation on her face didn't help her.

 **Attack on Titan - The Reluctant Heroes**

"[Lightning]!" Lottus cried out

"[Chain Dragon Lightning]!" the siblings shouted

Turning to face the incoming attacks, Set called forth another lightning barrier, blocking the attacks before they could get close, however by doing that he lifted his hold on Talia, just enough for her to act. Clenching her right hand, she placed all her strength in her arm and lifted it up, hitting the Elite under the ribs, then she activated her gauntlet, which transformed the strength of the blow into a matching explosion. An explosion swallowed Set's upper body, causing him to drop Talia, the Bride fell on her knees not too far from her opponent, her right hand went to her face, she let out an audible gasp as she touched it.

The areas that had been covered by his hand, were now nothing but bone, most of the right side of her face was gone, along with her nose, and upper lip. She remembered what Alucard had said, it would take some time for her to be able do something about this, even then using a potion would not guarantee results, as it was wasting potions was not an option. Suddenly her mind went to what Alucard would think, if he saw her like this, if he saw her disfigured façade, then she was brought back into the fight.

"Get back!" Zeno shouted

Looking up, Talia saw the still glowing eyes of the Elite, emerging from the smoke cloud that covered his upper body, once more she felt the weight fall on her, Talia could only curse herself for this moment of weakness.

"[Rock Barrage]!"

Several projectiles flew over Talia, easily cutting through the smoke cloud and hitting Set head on, each blow caused a visible impact sending him stumbling into his throne, where he fell down on motionless. Talia threw herself back, landing in front of Zeno, Soora and Lottus, Set wasn't dead that much she was sure off, however he seemed to have taken the full brunt of the attack, so he would have been affected by it, which meant his reaction may be deadly.

"A-Are you ok?" Soora asked, looking at Talia

The Bride her head so the trio could see the damage, their faces, and Lottus silence, told her all she needed to know it was bad, too much damage for a battle that could still go both ways.

"Did we, actually do it?" Zeno asked

"No." Talia growled back

 **Bleach - B07A**

Suddenly she felt something hit her, it wasn't a physical or magical blow, but her instincts telling her something bad was about to happen.

"Scatter!" she ordered, just as Set's eyes began to glow

The other 3 managed to escape in time, but Talia having been hit by the Elite's bloodlust did not react and was left open to the attack. The Bride was swallowed by a pillar of light, an amalgamation of lightning bolts that fell on her, if she screamed her voices was muffled by the thunderous sound that filled the chamber. A massive explosion followed the attack, in its wake was a matching cloud of smoke and a sizable crater, inside was Talia, most of her armor had been burnt away, her gauntlets had been heavily damaged. Her body had been burned in several areas, lucky for her none of the burns involved serious damage to her, however the marks were visible, some particularly nasty.

"You will all regret ever having considered that you stood a chance in the face of a god!" Set growled, looking at the trio

Suddenly the air picked up, with tremendous speed and force, so much so the projectiles that had been sent at Set were sent back to their original source, with no possibility of being dodged. The projectiles hit their targets discrepantly, they went through what remained of his servants, one went through Zeno's right shoulder, another through the left side of Soora's lower abdomen, two more went through Lottus, one through his left leg and right shoulder.

Zeno and Soora went down immediately, both bleeding profusely from their newly formed wounds, Lottus fell on his back, finding himself lucky for being undead and being able to still operated with his injuries. Set got up from his throne, and for the first time since their battle began, started walking towards his opponents perhaps a signal that he was done playing around.

"Impudent ants, you shall suffer for what you've done." Set growled, walking towards Lottus

The Lich lifted himself up, so he was now sitting, and looked to the side at the fallen siblings, Zeno holding his fading sister, with an increasingly paler expression himself, he then turned his attention to Set. He was uncertain if Talia was still alive, even if she was he wasn't sure if she could do anything against their opponent, not like it looked like she could do much before, however if she was alive he had to give her some time to recover.

"You call yourself a god? A true god, would have never had such childish outbursts." Lottus laughed back

Set greeted his teeth and his eyes began to glow, right away the Lich was swarmed by unimaginable agony, causing him to writhe uncontrollably.

"It would be wise to hold your tongue. It is within my power to choose the manner of your death."

"Y-You h-hold no power h-here! N-Not anymore."

Set stopped in front of a fallen Lottus, surprisingly lifting his hold on the Lich, the god let out a low growl, before speaking once more.

"No, no I do not." Set remarked, spewing hate filled words

Lottus didn't even think about his words, the Elite had lowered his guard enough for him to act, his eyes went to the siblings, only Zeno still moved slightly, he then went to Talia who was still motionless in the crater. Hardening his resolve, his eyes meet Set's, as he lifted his hand towards the Elite, his mind went momentarily to the others, then he acted.

"[Sacrificial Limit Breaking: Super Nova]!" upon his command the 10th tier spell bathed the entire chamber with super-heated light

* * *

 **Attack on Titan - Call Your Name**

Her fingers began to move ever so slowly, ever so forcefully, a loud gasp for air filled the area, her hands continued to move, trying and failing to close. Her fingers relaxed, deciding now to apply pressure on the ground, along her weakened knees, painfully she started to pull her body upwards, each movement gained from her an audible painfilled cry.

Getting on all fours, she felt like an old rag, which could be torn apart by any sudden, or brutish, motion using her arms to push she managed to get on her knees, even if halfway through the motion she was certain she heard flesh rip apart. Now on her knees, her head flung back leaving her eye to look at the burnt ceiling, her hands mechanically went to her head, examining it. Sobs, and shocked sounds came from her, as she touched her still exposed skull, the missing patches of hair, which had been burnt away, managing to look down she saw her heavily damage armor.

With one simple motion, her gauntlets fell to her sides, exposing her now pinkish hands, which she used to travel her exposed skin, getting an idea of how bad her situation was. Having mentalized herself of her own state, her attention went to her surroundings, something akin to a massive explosion had affected the area, there was nothing left, everything was either burned or reduced to ash. Everything except the body that was not too far from her left, it was Lottus, most likely he was safe, because he was the source of the blast, which given the power required to make, may have killed him in the process.

Her head turned to where she remembered Zeno and Soora had been, there was nothing there outside of a large pile of ash. Placing both her hands on the floor once more, Talia tried to get back to her feet, her first attempt caused her to stumble and fall backwards, hitting the floor with her damage back. A thought went through her mind, giving up, her body shouldn't be able of taking much more, she couldn't get to her feet, what could she do in this scenario.

"A-Alucard-s-sama…" she mumbled, a single tear falling from her eye

She wanted to see him again, she wanted to be with him, she wanted to kiss him, again and relieve the happiness of that night, forever. She wanted to be by his side, to be happy when he was happy, to uplift him when something was wrong, to open the way, even if by force, so he could fulfill his ever desire.

Talia's arm moved upwards, and using a burst of energy she flipped herself so she was now on her stomach, looking at what was in front of her she saw that the main door was open, leading to a staircase. She also noticed the trail of blood leading out of the chamber, and up the stairs, Set was hurt maybe not as hurt as she was, but injured nonetheless, perhaps to the point fighting him was possible.

 **Death Note - Low Of Solipsism**

Hardening her resolve, using her will, her wish to be with Alucard, to hold her body together, Talia crawled out of the crater and to her feet. Her mind shifted to one thing, and one thing alone ignoring everything else around her, her target was still alive, she was still alive, so as long as she was alive she would fulfill Alucard's orders. Before she noticed what was going on, Talia found herself walking forwards, her eyes tainted with a bright crimson, in her mind there was only one thing, defeat her target, kill her target, fulfill her mission.

As she walked forwards, she began to let go of the hold she had on her strength, each footstep began to leave marks on the floor, making the ground shake under. With each step her posture began to better, as if she was a good as new, her body naturally adapted to her new mindset, to her sole objective.

Walking up the stairs, following the trail of blood, Talia found herself in a large square chamber, with an opening on every wall and corner, on the walls the stairs lead downwards, on the corners they lead upwards. In the center of the chamber was Set, he seemed to be limping slightly, to the point he seemed to be using his scepter to help him walk.

"Set!" she roared

The Elite stopped, and slowly turned to look at her, as he turned around she saw his heavily damaged armor, the burn marks that covered his body, one of them over the left side of his head, blinding his eye. His expression, even for just a moment, was one of complete surprise and shock, he truly was not expecting to see her alive, especially when at the moment she looked like a walking corpse.

"I thought you were dead." he remarked, straightening his posture

"You will wish I was."


	62. The Nature of Azrael

**Bleach - Nube Negra**

Nyx dodged the barrage of tendrils that made their way towards her, using her speed she managed to outmaneuver the Elite's attack and finally close the distance between them. Ishmael went for a downwards swing, with the Bride managed to block with her blade, using her smaller side to slide under the male vampire. Reacting to this, Ishmael went to turn around and attack his opponent, who jumped clean over him, slicing through his right arm, forcing the Elite to drop his sword.

Nyx didn't have time to take advantage of the opening, as several tendrils attacked her, forcing her away from her target, back to the middle of the chamber. Ishmael tried to move his right hand, but found that the damage was too great, for him to be able to heal it quickly, and using his left hand was not an option, since he had no skill with it.

"To think one lucky blow would force me to do this." he sighed

The tendrils made a sharp turn going straight towards Ishmael, along with every shadow that was still inactive to grow a tendril that also went towards the Elite. The masses began to envelop the vampire, swallowing him up in an ever-growing shape, so much so Nyx could no longer see him. The mass soon took definite form, that of an upper boy, complete with arms and a head, just lacking in any features, it stood almost as tall as the chamber itself.

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - The Last Mission**

The figure's clenched left fist went for the attack, surprising Nyx it was fast even with its great size, the fist landed right in front of her sending the Bride flying into the closed door. The form lowered itself, exposing its back to Nyx, from where several tendrils shot out, which the Bride managed to avoid making her way towards the Elite in the process.

When she was close enough, the figure's right hand rushed towards her hitting Nyx, which translated into swatting her into a wall, creating a large crater upon impact. The Elite's massive left hand hit the wall, before closing it around the stunned Bride, in an attempt to crush her in his grip. At first Ishmael was surprised, as he felt some resistance from the small vampire, however that was soon overcome, as the strength in his grip raised, her resistance lowered.

Suddenly the air became colder, and heavier, of course being in the center of the massive figure Ishmael didn't notice this right away, but he did see the light purple flame that seemed to be escaping his clenched hand from in-between his fingers. At first the flames were small, so much so the Elite didn't see any need to worry, as long as he crushed her before the Bride did anything.

In a blink of an eye the flame tripled in size, Nyx further unleashing her bloodlust, before Ishmael could act, the sudden shock froze him, followed by the hand blowing apart. The small vampire, wrapped in light purple aura, lunged towards the chest of the massive figure, where Ishmael was. Thinking quickly, the Elite summoned tendrils from what remained of his left hand, 4 tendrils were summoned, and all of them managed to land clean hits, perhaps because in her current state Nyx was too focused on her prey.

Nyx's eyes widened as 3 of the tendrils went clean pass her remaining limbs, and another, which she assumed missed their original target, hit her chest sending her crashing down into the floor below, falling near the corpses of the Elite's servants.

* * *

 **Attack on Titan - Attack on Titan**

All of the columns in Azrael's throne room had collapsed, showing how fierce the fight was, since both had speed on their side, most of the attacks were hit and run, and so far no one had gotten the upper hand.

Touka took cover behind some of the debris, while Azrael floated above the room waiting for the vampire to make a move. The Bride tried to think of a way to get close enough to the angel to attack, from what she had seen if the fight ever came to close quarters combat, the Elite should be easy enough to handle. However how would she close the distance, her mind went through the entire fight, and something began to make sense, the door that was next to the throne, the Elite seemed rather protective of it.

Azrael's eyes darted to the female vampire, as she made her presence known once more running through the chamber, Azrael prepared to attack when she noticed what her opponent's objective seemed to be. She proceeded to unleash several attacks on the vampire, however they didn't change that much from what she had used so far, as a result Touka managed to avoid them easily, even those that were teleported to activate right in front of her.

Thinking quickly she teleported herself in-between the door and Touka, taking advantage of the distance that was still between them, Azrael decided to stop the fight, right there and then. Placing her hands together, as if praying, 50 small yellow arrays formed all around her, lowering her head she mumbled a few words to herself, before looking up and roaring.

"[Holy Judgement: Burning Javelins]."

From each array a javelin made of yellow light emerged from, traveling at high speeds the barrage of 50 projectiles, Touka stopped in her tracks, showing how the battle had taken enough of a mental tole on her, that such quick decisions became problematic. The projectiles were too fast, and she didn't have any room to avoid them with her speed alone, materializing more of her daggers, she threw them at the incoming projectiles.

It took some effort, but she managed to cancel out most of the javelins going straight at her, seeing the opening form she sent all her strength to her legs and ran full speed at the angel. Azrael instinctually looked back, her immediate concern going to what was beyond those doors, when her head moved back to the fight, Touka was in front of her. The Bride hit her with amazing strength, sending her crashing into the doors, causing a large dent in result, momentarily stunning the angel.

Touka proceeded to ram two of her daggers into Azrael's shoulders, causing the angel to let out a painfilled hiss, using one of the blades as a handle, she used her strength to send Azrael crashing into her own throne. Azrael quickly got back to her knees, she had no interest in these types of fights, they lacked the delicacy she actually managed to enjoy and it exploited her major flaw.

"No, you don't." a voice said from above

Something fell on the Elite, forcing her back into the ground in front of the throne, Touka had just landed on her back, drawing two other blades, she rammed them into the angels back restricting her wing movement.

"T-This… I won't allow it to end like this." Azrael hissed, trying to get back to her feet

Touka got off from on top of her and walked around the fallen Elite so she was now in front of Azrael, so when she looked up her eyes meet with that of her soon to be executioner. Lifting her right hand slightly, Azrael tried to summon another array, but Touka quickly sent a dagger through her palm, following it with a kick that sent her on to her back.

"Don't make it any harder." Touka hissed, materializing 2 other daggers

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - Restriction and Pledge**

"Stop!" a female voice echoed through the air, over the sound of doors opening

Touka looked up ready to fight against any incoming attack, however what she saw was everything except what she actually saw, it was a large crowd, composed mostly of women and children, being led by an older looking female elf. Stunned by the sudden development, and sensing no real threat in them, she did nothing that the group swarmed around her fallen opponent, creating a wall in between Azrael and herself.

"Certainly, there is no need to go this far!" Verrona pointed out, presenting herself as the leader of the group

"Get out of the way and I will end this quickly. There is no need for any of you to defend her." Touka remarked, still trying to process the scene

"How, can you not understand what is going on. We don't need to be saved from her, she was the one that saved us."

Touka's eyes widened by the sudden revelation, however there was still the chance this elf was simply trying to distract her, but what came after quickly put an end to those thoughts. Cries, and pleading, filled the air as the women, and children that were paying attention to the Elite saw the state she was in. Her flesh had turned a sickish grey in the spots where the daggers were rammed into, an effect of the [Corruption Daggers] on the angel's body.

"W-What do we do?" some asked

"I-Is Lady Azrael going to be alright?" others cried out

"We h-have to help her."

"Mommy, what's happening to Lady Azrael?" some of the children asked

"W-What are you all playing at?" Touka hissed

"This is the truth."

There was a tense moment between the two of them, that was broken up when Azrael got back to her feet, ripping out the dagger that was in her hand, which resulted in her had disintegrating, much to everyone's shock.

"Leave them out of this." Azrael growled, walking through the crowd towards Touka

"But, Lady Azrael, you can't…" Verrona tried to argue, but the Eltie spoke over her

"Take them back inside the room. Make sure they are looked after."

"But…" the elf tried to speak once more, this time Touka interrupted her

"Why do you care so much for them? I thought the Elite were supposed to be as arrogant as their master."

"Then you are as simple minded as he his!" Azrael roared back, her mouth closing shortly after, as if forcefully

"He? Malekith?"

"Y-Yes. He is only interested in his own goals, his subjects, this land, even the Elite, are tools for him to get what he wants." the angel replied

"But why did you bring them down here?"

"To save them, it was the best I could do, without falling under suspicion from the others, in their eyes these people are just my servants."

"Then, you are against Malekith?" Touka asked, to which Azrael didn't reply immediately, not knowing how to reply

"I-I do not agree with how he deals with those a King is supposed to protect. I do what I can, I bring some people down here, I give the Sky Walkers information whenever I can, and I deal with some of the trash the King is too "busy" to handle himself."

"Then why not help us!? With your help, taking care of those that support him would be easier." Touka pointed out

"I can't. I was summoned by him, he is my master, his goals and wishes come before all else…" Azrael began to reply, just to be cut off by the Bride

"That's a lie and you know it! If that was the case you wouldn't have stopped fighting me when they showed up, you would fulfill his orders to the end."

"H-His orders, w-weren't specific enough to warrant such behavior." The Elite replied, but Touka didn't buy it

"If you say so." Touka said, turning around and beginning to walk away

"Where are you going? We are not finished."

"We are. As you are, if I removed the daggers it will only do you more harm than good."

"But Lady Azrael is only looking worse, are you going to leave her here to die?" Verrona asked

"They won't kill, no matter how bad it looks." Touka replied, stopping and looking back at them

"If she wants to continue the fight, that's fine by me, but I have already given her enough weak points to exploit. Meaning she will be killed. If she doesn't want to fight, she could help me, but I see that doing so would go against her nature." the vampire said, looking at the angel

"You will let me live?" Azrael asked

"You seem to be doing more good, than harm. I say, why not?"

"Please, Lady Azrael do as she says, and stay here with us." many of the women pleaded

"… Fine…" Azrael mumbled

Touka walked away, leaving Azrael to be showered by her "servants" concern for her, however in her mind she only thought of one thing, if they failed. Surelly if they failed, the King would kill her, and those she saved, without pity, after all she had been weak, and allowed the enemy to escape.

* * *

 **Attack on Titan - DOA**

Elves ran through the damaged streets of the capital, they cried out for help, for anyone that would take them out of what was at the moment a living hell. Surprisingly they were not running from the undead army, but from the beings that had crawled out of the hive, that were attacking everything that moved.

Currently the large crowd was running away from the fire based War Beetle, it had already blasted through Ragnarok and the other undead that were in the nearby area. However, it was currently being hunted, using [Pace of the Wind], [Greater Evasion], [Ability Boost], [Greater Ability Boost], Clementine lunged from on top of a building landing on top of the large insect. Ramming one of her stilettos into the soft part behind its head, Clementine unleased the [Lightning] spell sealed inside, effectively cooking the creature alive from the inside out, killing it.

The War Beetle let out a loud screech collapsing on the ground, the sound echoing through the area, causing the runaway elves to stop and look back, at what was just a moment ago attacking them. Their eyes were focused on the woman standing on top of it, using her hand to clean the sweat from her brow, while getting her breathing under control, after all Clementine had never had to work so hard before.

"Thank you." almost all of them said, in one way or another

They walked towards her, some even reached out to her as if she was some kind of savior that had descend from the heavens, Clementine could do nothing better than give an awkward smile here and there, thinking of a way to get rid of them. Luckily for her, one of the flying insects crashed into a nearby house, startling the elves and propping them to begin running once more.

"I-I'm fine." Brain announced, emerging from the debris

"That's quite the entrance~" Clementine chuckled approaching him

"Y-Yeah. We need to find a better way to do this, I'm pretty sure they have yet to stop emerging from that whole in the ground."

"Should we go and try to help Mathius~?"

"N-No. We would just get ourselves killed."

"Ok~ Then shall we continue with what we were doing~?"

"Yes. This, time let's try to stick together."

* * *

 **Bleach - Ominous Premonition**

Mathius was engulfed in an explosion, the result of unleashing a spell when his target was within arm's reach of him, the Overlord staggered backwards, already uneasy on his feet, given his weakened state. He had to admit, that never in his life, given his current ascended state, would he feel the fear of running out of energy to use.

Raknoug erupted from the smoke cloud, cutting through his opponent's robes with its claws, sending him stumbling into the ground. Mathius quickly lifted his hands to protect himself, when an extremely sharp blow ran down on him, slicing through his left wrist and left side of his face. Acting quickly, Mathius lifted his remaining hand unleashing a [Flash] spell straight into the Elite's face, stunning it long enough for him to crawl away from his attacker.

"We see you." Raknoug growled, lunging at him

The Elite's right hand went straight through the Overlord's back completely immobilizing him, it stunned Mathius how easily the Elite was able to do such things so easily, it only showed him how weak he had grown during the fight.

* * *

 **Death Note - L's Theme**

Thelsea and Kaia watched through the Mirror, as Raknoug rammed it's claws through Mathius's back, silence fell upon them, it was an empty silence as if all air had been taken away from the room. Slowly a low hissing sound began to fill the room, Kaia's empty face turned to the side to look at the source of the sound, her mother and her predatory eyes. She got up, her whole-body tense, Kaia could see the energy flaring within and outside her mother's body.

"I will be back soon." Thelsea said, beginning to walk out of the room

"Are you going to help, father?" Kaia asked

"Yes."

"Can I…"

"No! Stay here, we will be back soon." with that Thelsea vanished through the door

She darted through the hallways, her senses heightening beyond their natural limits, her muscles working like pistons to enable her to move faster than she had ever moved before. In her mind, she saw Mathius, her man, the man she had help when he was sick, the man she had helped to ascend pass such things, the man that loved her, the man that gave her a daughter, the man that was hers, being attacked. Then she saw the Elite in her mind, it would learn, it would learn that ever going after her family, was the greatest mistake of its life.

Raknoug looked at the fallen Overlord, who weakly lifted his head up so their eyes would meet, if he still had one, Mathius would have felt his heart racing, perhaps this was the end, where he would die. No, he would not allow it to end like this, he would prevail, he would survive, he had lived too long to be taken out so easily.

Then it happened, a black blur passed between them, Mathius would have looked at it however his attention fell on the scratching Elite, its hands going to its right eye, which seemed to have been gouged out. Then his attention went to where the blur had landed, there stood a massive black cat, it had imposing yellow eyes, burning with pure hatred, in its mouth was the missing part of the Elite's eye.

"W-What…" he mumbled

"Get away from my man." it growled


	63. Overwhelming Odds

**Hellsing Ultimate - Magnolia**

Raknoug took its stance as the black feline ran full speed at him, when Thelsea had crossed half of the distance between them, the Elite lunged at her. Acting quickly Thelsea threw herself to the right, resulting in Raknoug ramming's its right hand through the roof of the building they were currently standing on. Using the fact, he was now blind on his right side, the feline threw herself at him tackling down, before beginning to wildly claw and bite at the Elite.

The Elite placed its arms in front of its face, blocking most of the attacks, however even Raknoug had to admit surprise when claws began to cut through his arms, even if it just scratches. Letting out a loud the Elite kicked Thelsea away from it, sending her crashing several feet away from the Elite.

"We see pass your anger, we see your weakness." Raknoug pointed out

Thelsea stumbled back to all fours, she felt a sharp pain going through her body, the kick had definably broken something, however it wouldn't slow her down.

"That's good for a one eye bastard."

The Succubus went back to full speed, becoming a black blur with glowing eyes once more, Raknoug took its stance and waited. The blur went to his right, so the Elite prepared to block a blow from the right, however at the last moment Thelsea threw herself to the right, and taking advantage of the opening went for the throat. Her jaws clenched around the Elite's throat sending it down, as she placed all of her body weight on it, using her front paws Thelsea tried to restrain Raknoug's arms.

During the struggle, Thelsea got kneed in the side, giving the Elite the opening it needed to free it's left hand and ram it into the feline's chest. A loud cry echoed through the area, as Thelsea was once more kicked away from her prey, only this time she didn't get back up.

"As we determined, you are weaker than he was."

Raknoug, got back up and kicked the succubus sending her flying till she landed to Mathius's left, where soon enough she regressed to her base form. Even so she wasn't done, coughing blood, Thelsea tried to push herself back up, just for Mathius to grab on to her hand, in the face of such weak resistance her body gave up.

"I… must…" she gurgled

"You'll get yourself killed." Mathius growled back, slowly sitting back up

"B-But he… h-hurt you… he h-hurt us…" Thelsea argued back, her eyes blank to reason

"Thelsea, you…" the Overlord tried to speak, stopping when she placed a bloodied hand on his cheek

"I will protect our family… You rest, there's no need for you to get yourself killed…" she said, with a warm smile, blood dripping from her mouth

"Correction, you will all die here. Such is the King's wills." Raknoug said, beginning to approach them

* * *

 **Bleach - Whisper of the Apocalypse**

Kaia watched the scene unfold through the Mirror, her mother and father fallen on the ground, injured, bleeding, dying. Her expression was blank, no emotion displayed on it like a lifeless doll, in the face of her families impending doom she showed nothing, however inside there was a terrifying mixture of emotions. Calmly she got up from bed, looked back at the Mirror and stopped, as if trying to remember something, her left arm raised, as she spoke.

"[Gate]."

When the portal opened, a portal appeared in the scene represented in the mirror, behind her parents, she turned to face the portal and slowly walked towards it, till finally she went through it.

It fell on the city like a tidal wave, if it was felt outside of its gates is unknown, but inside everyone felt it. It was a terrifying mixture of emotions, some that made perfect sense given the situation, others that were foreign to the event, others that seemed totally alien to everyone present. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent.

Malekith who was looking down at a kneeling Alucard and Zesshi, froze in place, as did his opponents, their attention going to the overwhelming emotional whirlpool that came from the city. None of them could explain what they felt, but all thought the same thing, even the a transcended being like Malekith, it was overpowering, at that moment they felt like ants.

Ishmael who was walking towards Nyx's body, also froze in place, his eyes darting upwards to the abomination that had entered the city, fear began to overtake him, it in no way compared to what he had felt against the Bride. What was happening, how could he feel such a thing, something that seemed to even surpass Set in power?

Touka, who was about to walk out of Azrael's chamber, and everyone inside of it looked up, feeling the impact of the tidal wave that had just hit the capital. The sounds of children crying soon filled the air, all the while Touka and Azrael could only ponder in horror, what was it that they were feeling.

Set fell on his knees, having just been sent flying into a wall by Talia, whatever remained of the armor that covered his upper body was gone, several bite marks covering him. He had to hide his surprise, it was as if Talia had been holding back on him before, which he knew was impossible, as what stood before him now was a monster.

His mind soon went blank as he felt the weight of the world fall on his shoulders, the unnatural feeling forcing him to look up, Talia also felt her attention being drawn up. In her mind was only one thing, was it enemy, was it an ally, how would it affect Alucard, would she have to kill it?

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - Theme of Kage & RASETSU**

"K-Kaia?" Thelsea mumbled, looking up at her daughter

"Mother, Father, stay calm I will deal with him."

Kaia walked pass them, ignoring her mother's attempts to grab on to her and get her attention, being limited to watching her daughter place herself between them and the Elite. Raknoug was motionless in fear, its instincts told him to leave and survive to fight another day, but its King's directive was too strong, his mission had yet to be fulfilled.

Then the burst of emotion stopped, and was all sucked back inside, the eyes of those present it was as if Kaia had become an all-consuming void, the black form of a woman, with white orbs for eyes. Of course, this was all in Raknoug's eyes, how his mind was processing what the being that stood before him was emitting, it was tainted with such maddening purity, it left the Elite unable to react.

Raknoug didn't even consider calling upon his minions, in that moment there was only him and the abomination, an opponent that his mind told him to attack, but his instincts told to avoid and run from as fast as he could. Paying more attention to the figure, trying to find a weakness to exploit, Raknoug once more saw Kaia as she was, and not the disturbing white eyed silhouette, like this he could see how she truly was. The Elite saw her simple looking clothing, her somewhat unhealthy look, she was nothing but a big act, outside of that initial effect she looked incredibly vulnerable.

Not thinking twice it lunged at full speed, not wanting to risk having her pull out some other trick, as the Elite got closer he once more felt something strange, the though quickly took form in his mind. He was going to his death, what stood before him was death itself, then why did she look alive, but then why did she feel so empty, as if such words as alive or death, were simplifications of her true nature.

Lost in thought the Elite got to close, the woman's arms moved with amazing speed, so much so in the blink of an eye Raknoug found itself in her embrace. However with its arms still free the Elite brought its hands down on Kaia's chest, easily piercing it, much to his surprise there was no reaction, not even a simple twitch in the face.

"I… I'm going to kill you." its opponent growled, her voice sending a chill through the Elite's entire body

The feeling did not vanish, it only intensified, its body became colder and colder, as well as becoming heavier, to the point the pressure seemed to be enough to crush it. Raknoug was certain this was not from the hold, he didn't feel that much strength in her arms, using its legs the Elite managed to push itself away. Stumbling a little as it landed, it surprised the Elite how tiered it was after the exchange with the woman, taking its stance, he prepared for another attack, but he stopped mid motion looking at its hands.

They had withered into a mummified state, letting its arms drop to the side Raknoug tried to think of something else, but his still uneasy feet gave way and the Elite was dropped to its knees. Looking down, Raknoug let out a human like gasp, seeing that the places were the woman's arms had touched, were in a similar, albeit better, state as its hands.

The Elite tried to get back up, but its legs wouldn't respond, looking up it saw Kaia begin to approach, her expression was different this time, Raknoug couldn't believe what it was seeing, was that curiosity? She stopped in front of him leaned down, and, almost playfully, pocked at the damaged eye, feeling the consistency of the damaged flesh.

"Squishy." she remarked, straightening her posture

"We will not die. We will not die. WE WILL NOT DIE!" Raknoug began to shout, to which Kaia cocked her head to the side

"Rejoice in knowing, that your life force will be used for something better."

Kaia's hand fell on top of the Elite's head, a blood curdling shriek filled the air as a result, but it didn't last long, soon enough Raknoug was nothing but a husk, which crumbled away as soon as Kaia lifted her hand.

* * *

 **Bleach - Head In The Clouds**

Clementine and Brain, after recovering from the shock of Kaia's arrival, quickly made their way towards the source of the disturbance, taking advantage of the disarray, it caused among the hive and undead army. Brain's worst fear was that what they had felt was the true power of the Elite Mathius was facing, if that was the case truly all was lost, however it meant he would have to go and help his comrade, it was the least he could do as a warrior. Jumping from building to building, they soon landed at Mathius location, not even bothering to look around the first thing he said was.

"We're here to help!" Brain announced

"I think we are too late for that." Clementine remarked

Looking around Brain saw she was right, Mathius and Thelsea were on the floor, the Succubus was motionless, Kaia was also her and to her feet was a pile of dust with what remained of Raknoug's head on top of it.

"We should take my parents back to the Mines." Kaia pointed out

"Y-Yes." Brain said, still putting together that what they felt could have only been her

"But we need Mathius here to coordinate the undead." Clementine pointed out

"T-Then we'll use what we have to heal them. After that Thelsea and Kaia can go back." Brain said

* * *

 **Bleach – Choked**

Malekith was truly surprised, being mentally linked to his summoned minions he was well aware of where they were, and how they were doing at the moment HP wise. The face he had just lost Raknoug, and Set's link was abnormally weak, to the point it was getting close, if not go below, Azrael's and Ishmael's, was troubling.

He looked at his weakened opponents, this Alucard was truly strong, however he was an idiot by trying to defend his daughter from most of his attacks. It resulted in him being more injured than her, not that if things had gone any other way it would have helped them, Alucard just needed another push to know defeat, his daughter would go down shortly after.

Knowing this, there was no reason for him to go full power against them, what he was thinking of now, was how the failure of his Elite would only give him more work to do, especially now that Raknoug's hive was running wild. He needed to do something to rid himself of all these ants that were now getting to troublesome to his liking, he would crush them, and by doing so show all of them, show the world, his power.

 **Attack on Titan Season - YouSeeBIGGIRL/T:T**

Alucard and Zesshi watched on, as Malekith raised his right arm towards the window to their left, and spoke.

"[Bypass: Summon World Class Enemy: Yamata no Orochi]."

At the sound of his command an array formed in the sky outside, it was massive in size covering nearly a quarter of the capital, it was crimson in color, decorated with several kanji and unique shapes.

Malekith lowered his arm, on his face was a pleased expression, but also something else, something that he couldn't hide. Being driven by his ego and confidence, Malekith saw that even if he was to place a large quantity of his energy into the summon, in his mind it made no difference, however his opponents saw his weakened stance.

Summoning all his strength, revitalizing his transformed state, Alucard sheathed Shi and charged at the weakened Elf King, taking full advantage of his rooky mistake. Closing the distance between them, Alucard delivered a knee right to Malekith's chin, sending him reeling backwards. Acting quickly, the vampire wrapped his right arm around the King's arm, before using his free hand to forcefully remove The Hand of Transcendence from the hand of it's owner. Not being done Alucard delivered a final spinning kick, sending the Elf King flying through his throne and into a wall.

"Did you do it?" Zesshi asked, getting back to her feet

"He's still alive… But we have the Hand."

Turning around he looked out of the window, the process couldn't be stopped, with the array fully formed what was left was for the creature to come through.

Suddenly a massive bolt shot down from the array and into the city bellow, the large discharge of energy was enough to desolated what surrounded it, when the blast stopped and the array dissipated what was left was a large cloud of smoke. Alucard felt a chill go down his spines, as growls, that ended in hisses, began to fill the air, there was no mistaking it, those sounds were unique to only one creature he knew. Truly the Hand worked, Malekith as a summoner had broken through all possible barriers, and by doing so summoned the World Class Enemy, Yamata no Orochi.

"H-How bad is it?" Zesshi asked

Alucard was silent as the cloud began to dissipate, underneath it was a red colored body, with a few tints of brown to it, the body was massive and four legged, it had height tails, and eight necks, all ending in dragon heads. It stood as tall as Gargantua, if not taller, the creature slowly looked at its surroundings, like it did when it was idle in the game.

"I-I w-will deal with it. You…"

Alucard began to reply, when a blast hit him in the back, being caught off guard he was sent through the wall and into the outside world, in his surprised state his grip on the weapon loosened letting fall into the streets bellow. His eyes would have gone to the falling weapon, but his attention was fully on Orochi, as the creature had obviously set its sights on him, looking back he saw the Citadel, trying to go after the Hand would put Zesshi at risk.

Swallowing his pride and wish to go after the Hand, Alucard activated his armor, resulting in wings erupting from his back and a dragon head themed helmet covering his face. He then flew in the opposite direction, letting the Hand go for the time being, but keeping Orochi busy with him, while Zesshi dealt with Malekith.

[Zesshi.]

[W-What happened!? What a-am I supposed to do!?] she asked

[Kill him. He made a dumb mistake, and now he is weaker than he was before, he is weaker then I was when you fought me. And how did that go?]

[I-I almost beat you?]

[Exactly. You can do this, while I deal with this guy.]

[But can…] the call was forcefully ended by Alucard


	64. Deadly Devotion

**Naruto Shippuuden - Spiral**

Ishmael looked down at his opponent's limp body, it had been a rather fierce fight, at least for him it had been the first real fight he had had in a while, however her eagerness for battle had been her undoing. Who knows had she played her cards correctly she might have had a shot at winning, but now that was a thing of the past, now he had to concern himself with the other fights, and whatever the thing that he had felt was.

The Elite calmly walked pass his fallen opponent, making his way towards the exit, holding his sword in his left hand, since his right arm had yet to fully heal. Feeling much more confident after having taken out such a troublesome opponent like Nyx, the vampire naturally dropped his guard.

Arriving at the exit, something broke his newly found calmness, it was the ever familiar sounds of bones breaking, and flesh been torn apart, at times it could have been seen as a melody, but at this moment it was far from it. However, it was not such a disturbing sound that got him to spin around like a madman, it was the fact his right arm simply fell to the floor, as if the cut he had received had augmented in size, to the point it would sever the arm in two.

 **Naruto Shippuden - Martyr**

Turning around Ishmael was meet with a terrifying sight, his fallen opponent was now on her feet, her aura completely enveloped her, one arm was motioned towards him, and she stood on her legs. That was the thing that most baffled him, where did those legs and arm come from, if she could have healed herself surely, she would have done so sooner, perhaps she was waiting for him to drop his guard to do so. This thought made him let out an annoyed hiss, he above all others should be more than able to see through such petty tricks, and yet he had failed to do so.

Upon better inspection he understood how she had healed herself, even if he was more leaning towards the idea this was only a temporary solution. The bodies that surrounded his opponents, seemed to be forcefully sucked out and placed on the body of Nyx, which she then used to recreate her missing arms and legs. The reason he saw this as a temporary solution was because they still looked like a mix of flesh and bone, placed together to take the familiar shape of limbs.

"W-What did you do to my arm?" Ishmael hissed, looking down at his right arm

"I heal people by manipulating the body into the desired shape. Which means that I can as easily affect an already existing injury."

"B-But how!? If you could use that, why not use that from the start?"

"I can only help those who wish to be helped. Those who lower their guard, like you did."

Nyx lowered her arm, just as her other arm took shape, she proceeded to unleash more of her bloodlust, so much so it began to spread to the walls and ceiling. The air began to become colder and heavier, Ishmael felt his legs begin to give way under this newly released terror, as much as it costed him, his will would not allow him to retreat. Finding his mind bound by his master's directive, he hardened his resolve, his grip on his sword, and letting out a war cry, that sounded more desperate than anything, he lunged at her.

The Bride replied by going on the offensive herself, in her opponent's eyes she became a red eyed purple colored trail, both fighters meet, traded blows and landed on opposite sides. For a moment Ishmael was dumbfounded as it seemed like everything had gone dark, when the realization finally hit him, he let out an agonizing cry of pure pain, as he realized that his eyes were no more. All the while, Nyx had simply lost one of her temporary arms, the child like being slowly turned around to eye down, her now kneeling enemy, who had dropped his weapon in favor of using his remaining hand to cover his face.

 **Hunter x Hunter - Scariness**

"You seemed faster just a moment ago. Is the loss of your arm, really that crippling?" Nyx asked, calmly walking towards him, using her bloodlust to overwhelm the weakened Elite

"D-Don't get near me!" Ishmael cried back

The Bride placed her thumb over her index finger and pressured it down causing a cracking sound in response, it was as if his words had completely deflated her interest in the fight. With one simple step she closed the distance between them, placing her hand on his forehead, the Elite replied by letting out a pathetic cry, to which she replied by sealing her bloodlust back inside herself.

"This is boring. I wanted a real fight. Will you give me a real fight, if I heal your eyes?" she asked, in an almost playful manner

Ishmael was ready to say yes, but them he remembered what she had told him before, she only needed him to lower his guard for a moment. Soon he understood that that split second was enough for her to get a hold of him, whatever power she used began to take effect, what followed was something to disgusting to describe. Cries of agony echoed through the chamber, as well as words for mercy and pity, but in the childlike figure's eyes was nothing, not a single trace of emotion, even when her opponent's head exploded in a gory display.

What had just happened was the result of Nyx going overboard with her [Flesh Weaver] ability, instead of stopping the process when the body was fully healed, she continued the cellular multiplication till it reached a critical point.

Having completed her mission, she let out a sigh, surely Otō-san would not be happy if he saw that she had gone overboard with her fight, certainly forcing Ishmael's head to burst open from the inside was too much. Quickly letting go of these thoughts, her mind turned to what came next, seeing how her sisters were doing in their fights.

* * *

 **My Hero Academia - Jet Set Run**

Set rolled back to his feet, he was breathing heavily, his left arm was wrapped around his gut, blood dripped from his bite marks, for the first time in his life he was clearly on the losing side of a fight, if such a thing should be possible given Talia's physical condition. The Bride was slightly unshed over, her injuries had healed little to nothing, some had gotten worse, but nothing of that seemed to make a difference in what she did. The area was covered in craters from her blows, or shockwaves created by them, as the fight went on the control she had over her strength was beginning to drop.

Once more she lunged at him, this had happen so many times already that Set knew what to do, but it didn't turn the event any more disturbing. Talia ran like a wild beast, without any visible aim, so much so, the Elite couldn't read her intentions, till she got close and threw a seemingly random kick or punch.

This time the vampire went for a punch, that like every other blow Set blocked using his scepter, the resulting shockwave sent him staggering back. Talia landed right in front of him, immediately transitioning to an upper cut, which almost made contact with Set's jaw, the Elite followed it up by spinning around and hitting Talia on her side with his scepter.

The Bride was sent crashing into the ground, letting out a primal hiss the vampire jumped back to her feet, visibly angered Talia lifted her clenched fists above her head, just before mercilessly bringing them down on to the ground. The impact was enough to cause all the ground around her to move, as if it was water being disturbed by waves, naturally Set momentarily lost his footing as the ground became unstable under him. Placing all her strength into her legs Talia propelled herself forward, proceeded by redirecting her strength into her clenched right fist.

Set had no time to mount a defense, as Talia appeared before him, her fist rocketed towards him with unimaginable speed and strength behind it, landing a clean hit on Set's chest. This was followed by the Elite being sent flying, letting out a blood chilling sound as he did, just before he once more crashed against a wall.

Falling on his knees, the only thing the once proud god felt was pain, his left hand went to his chest, where a slight dent could be seen. Set was about to get back up, when Talia's arms went under his and behind his neck, the Bride had just trapped him in a Full Nelson, followed by wrapping her legs around his waist so as to place all her weight on him.

"I-I will not…"

 **Hellsing Ultimate - Shishuu Kaze to Chi Shibuki**

Set tried to voice his anger, just to be abruptly stopped when the vampire dug her teeth into his neck, beginning to feed on the restrained Elite. At first he tried to power out of her hold, just to quickly realize something he had accepted long ago, she was physically stronger than he was, which meant he had to think of another way to get rid of her.

His eyes began to blink in and out, it was truly a pathetic sight for him to even be unable to use his weaker abilities, how lower could he stood, how much would it take to get rid of this ant. Even in his struggle his mind made a strange connection, strange because it was new to him, he did not have to get rid of an ant, he had to get rid of a threat, the first he had ever faced in his life.

Set's eyes turned fully green, as he directed his ever-dwindling focus to the vampire restraining him, soon enough Talia was wrapped in pure agony, however it seemed to have no effect on her, as she didn't even move.

"I-I will not d-die!" he growled

Managing to move his hands back and towards her face, Set activated his [Desert Touch] as soon as his fingertips touched her face. Finally her grip began to weaken, but not enough for him to free himself, was she planning on fighting to the last of her strength, how foolish of her, yet admirable. As much as Set thought this, he too was weakening, since she had yet to stop feeding on his blood, which he was certain was only making her stronger.

* * *

Suddenly a gust of wind went pass them, to which the Elite replied as if he had been hit by something, resulting in him falling face first on the floor, unmoving. The one that had caused this, was Touka having used her superior strength to land the sneak attack on an already restrained Set, she would have done more but she was far too disturbed by Talia.

 **Hunter X Hunter 2011 - Hegemony Of The Food Chain**

Talia was supposed to be the pillar, the one everyone looked up to, the one that was the perfect servant, the one that always kept her composure even in the worst of situations. Before her now was a mangled fiend, who was desperately draining her prey out of its life force, after having immobilized it. When it seemed like Set was dead, Touka went to try and speak to her sister, who reacted by violently moving her head back up, ripping away part of the Elite's neck, which she spat to the side, before throwing the body away and getting back to her feet.

Getting back to her feet, the damaged Bride let out a low hiss, completely ignoring Touka, Talia began to walk towards the nearest stairs that lead to the outside world, her objective now was to regroup with Alucard, nothing else mattered. Touka gulped, it was obvious the fight against Set was too much for one to handle alone, and Talia's stubborn nature didn't help, however she knew this was something else, beyond all those factors. In her desperation to win, to fulfill her orders, Talia had driven herself into her very own [Blood Rage], which in her case created a silent, unstable, creature.

Deciding to test her luck, Touka approached Talia, and playfully went to place a hand on her sister's shoulder, what saved Touka was her superior speed. Right as her hand was about to make contact with the shoulder, Talia turned around bringing her clenched right hand up with her. Throwing herself backwards, Touka still felt the sheer raw power behind the motion, if she had any doubts about what was going on, after having felt Talia's unregulated strength, her doubts were washed away.

"What are you doing?" a mangled Talia asked

"I was going to point out the fact you need to be healed." Touka replied

"I must go to Alucard-sama." Talia remarked, turning back towards the stairs

"What are you planning to do in that state? You barely managed to defeat Set!"

The older Bride stopped, slowly turned around, starring her sister down as she did so, the stare was enough to send shivers down Touka's back, she couldn't believe what she was seeing, was Talia preparing to fight?

"Why do you wish to keep me from my duty? Why don't you want me to go to Alucard-sama?" Talia asked, clenching her fists

"I-I want to help you. You need to be healed, you are in no shape to…" Touka was abruptly cut off

"Silence! I won't be held back any longer." Talia growled back

"T-Too bad, I'm not letting you continue the mission while in that state."

* * *

 **Naruto Shippuden – Senya**

Talia charged at Touka, visibly ready for a fight, going for a right hand the younger Bride jumped upwards avoiding the blow that made contact with the floor, sending cracks all over the area. Making contact with the ceiling, Touka materialized to small iron rods, which she threw at Talia hitting her in the shoulders, latching on to them as a paper decorated with symbols spread out from the end of them.

Jumping back to the ground, a good distance from Talia, Touka clapped her hands together, leaving only her middle fingers vertical, as soon as she did this, Talia froze in place as if being held down by a great force. This didn't last long, as the older vampire began to twitch breaking free of whatever hold Touka had on her.

"Of course, that wouldn't be enough." Touka mumbled, materializing 10 more of the metal rods

Talia went back on the offensive, Touka did the same running straight back at her, when the older Bride went for the right hand, Touka used her speed to jump over her showering her sister in the rods. When they all made contact with their target, Touka once again did the same hand gesture, Talia yet again froze in place, knowing that wasn't enough Touka lifted her thumbs and pinkies.

As a result, all of the papers hanging from the rods caught fire and exploded, swallowing Talia in an inferno of flames, letting her hands fall to her side Touka waited for something to happen, after all she didn't want to kill Talia. What happened next she wasn't expecting, from the resulting smoke cloud, Talia emerged unfazed by the blast, and showing no signs of wanting to slow down.

The older Bride lunged at Touka, who readied herself to counterattack, when out of nowhere Nyx emerged landing a single blow on the back of Talia's neck, taking advantage of her distracted state to land a hit. The oldest Bride crashed into the floor motionless, Nyx landed behind her, while Touka stood before her, both looking down at their collapsed sister.

* * *

 **Hunter x Hunter 2011 - Kingdom of Predators**

Touka looked at Nyx, noting the marks in her armor that suggested, that Nyx's left arm, and legs had been severed and then reattached, and the exposed arm which she concluded may have been grown back.

"I see yours was not an easy fight." she remarked

"I could have been easier, if I had been serious from the beginning." Nyx pointed out, walking around Talia, examining her current condition

"How did you kill him, Nyx?" Touka asked, her tone turning serious after earring her answer

"I blew up his head." the young Bride replied

"Even if the mission is chaotic in nature, it does not give you an excuse to let your own chaotic side run wild."

"I-I know, b-but he was so bothersome to deal with, and then he began to cower just when I started to get serious, it killed the mood. I didn't mean to go overboard." Nyx said, almost pleadingly

"Fine. Just keep yourself under control. How long will it take to heal her?"

"She is in pretty bad shape, and I will need some time to properly heal her."

"I guess, that was unavoidable. I'll go see if anything is salvageable on Set's chamber." Touka said, beginning to walk away

"How did your fight go?" Nyx asked

"I let her live."

"Why?"

"She is not like them. She helped those she could, as best as she could. Someone like that doesn't deserve death."

"I hope you are right. It would be a shame, if I ended up killing someone like her by mistake." Nyx pointed out, with a small chuckle

"Like I said, do not get too excited."

As Touka was begging to walk away, the entire area shock violently, the impact drew the vampire's eyes upwards to the source of the disturbance. Little did they know but Orochi had just set half of the capital ablaze.


	65. The Might of Orochi

**Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - Requiem for the Brigadier General**

Alucard leaned back against the burning remains of a wall, his armor had gone back to normal, along with his hair and all other changes that came from his augmented state. After all that state was too taxing on him, and if in the current situation he would need to be at more than 100%, he first had to heal his body fully.

However, that was not the issue at the moment, that was nothing in the face of what surrounded him, he was not that far from the area where [Sun Rise Nova], Orochi's strongest attack, had hit. Most of the damage was caused by the resulting shockwave, that amazingly sent flames flying everywhere, for some miracle the flames had not gone beyond the city itself. Ignoring the heavy smell of burning flesh, the pure destruction that surrounded him, his attention once more went to somewhere else, the living, or what remained of them.

In the Supreme Being's arms there were 3 people, 2 on his left and the other on his right, in his right arm was Sarya, she didn't even try to struggle, as her hands went up to her mouth, tears fell freely from her eyes, which were focused on a single direction. On his left, was a rather sensitive case, a mother and child, both elves, the mother held the child close to her chest, using her left hand to stroke his hair, while mumbling something to his ear. The mother was understandably an emotional mess, doing all she could from having her son see what had happened, yet it didn't stop him from continuously, calling out to his father, to which his mother replied.

"W-We will be joining him shortly."

Alucard was frozen in place, his attention wasn't focused on the people he had saved, to be honest he had done so without even thinking, having let himself drop into the city, when he saw Sarya, and decided to at least save someone. Either way, he could have never hoped to stop the blast, and the 3 lives he had saved didn't even cause a dent on those that died. All of this went through his mind, all the while taking in the destruction his actions had caused, the destruction brought about by him having decided to conquer this land.

Everything that was going on here, all of the destruction, all of the death, all of the suffering, was all his fault, he had brought war into the lives of those who had nothing to do with it. Yet he knew that, it had always been a possibility, but never in his worst nightmares, had he imagined such chaos, such devastation. Predicting this was beyond his power, why and how, was he supposed to have considered Malekith being able to summon a World Class Enemy?

Before he could beat himself over the situation even more, he was "luckily" brought back from his thoughts, by Sarya struggling in his iron grip, she wanted to free herself, and seemingly run into the inferno that surrounded them.

"L-Let go of me! I have to help them!" she growled, trying to pull herself away from him

"W-Why are you here? You weren't supposed to be out here!" was all Alucard managed to say

"We had to help them. That's what we do, that's what the Sky Walkers do! Now, let go, I have to get back to them!"

"To who!?" Alucard growled out

The elf stopped, her arm still reaching out to something, in her eyes everything seemed to become clear, there was no one for her to reach out for, there was no one left, she was the last of the Sky Walkers. Sarya fell back, motionless, her eyes blank, reduced to silent sobs, in Alucard's arm.

The mother and child in his other arm, had yet to move from their original state, to be honest Alucard was unsure they had yet to notice him and Sarya.

"Are you alright? Are any of you hurt?" Alucard asked, looking down at them

"Y-Yes. T-Thank you for… s-saving us." the mother replied

"No. There is no need to thank me…" the vampire remarked, his arms falling to his side

"Sarya." he spoke, she did not reply

"Sarya!" he growled, pushing her back to her senses

"What!?" the female elf roared back, looking at him with sorrow filled eyes

"Take them. Make sure they are safe."

Sarya's head moved to her fellow elves, then back to Alucard, she wanted to give up that's the only thing that went through her mind. After all what was left for her, everyone she knew was either dead, or dying, her home was reduced to a burning mess, what was the point.

"What will you do?" she asked, just as Orochi's roars echoed through the air

"I'm going to make sure, that thing doesn't leave this city."

"No! You can't!" she shouted back, placing her hands on his chest

"Didn't you see what it did to the capital!? You'll get yourself killed! You can't go!"

"I have to go. If I do not go, no one will be able to stop it, and what happened here will happen again."

"B-But…"

Sarya went silent, she clenched her fists and leaned back into him, her forehead making contact with his armor.

"I-I don't want to lose anyone else."

"And I will make sure that doesn't happen. But for me to do that, you have to let me go, I can't save the rest of your people if you don't."

The last Sky Walker lazily raised herself, followed by turning her attention to the mother and child, they were easy to convince to leave. She had only to show a caring, even if weak, smile to get them to follow her.

 **Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – Anticipation**

* * *

Alucard got back to his feet as well, his attention going to Sarya who still seemed reluctant to leave, the vampire let out a weak sigh, and placed his right hand on the elf's shoulder, giving her a confident expression.

"Take them somewhere safe. I'll make sure you and your people get to call this land truly your own once more. Now, go and don't look back."

"B-But…" she mumbled

"There is no need for you to say anything else. Go, and help your people. Now take this item, it will protect you from the fire."

Sarya, used her hand to clean her tears, and took the item before beginning to walk away, Alucard turned his back on her to face the direction where Orochi was, when Sarya's voice once more echoed through the area.

"W-What am I to tell the others? I-If there's n-need for it."

"Tell them… That whatever happened, was because of my choices, and for them to let those choices be… to let me be."

Sensing Sarya walk away, Alucard made his way to the tallest building he could find, jumping right to the top of what remained of its tower, he could see the enemy. He seemed busy firing, or stomping, at large insects that were trying to swarm him. The vampire downed some potions, he did so until he felt close to being at a 100%, taking a deep breath, calming himself, he once more drew his blade.

* * *

 **God of Ink - Re:Creators**

"Shi. Awaken!"

The flames in the area were pushed down by the sudden outburst of power, a black aura wrapping around his body, it quickly shot up into the sky, in an ominous black pillar making the clouds darker upon contact.

"Here standeth the bird of Hermes, eating my own wings to keep myself tame."

Black masses began to rain down from the sky, masses that divided into smaller forms, resulting in more than a 1000 of them, when they finally fell on the streets and buildings bellow. The masses began to convulse and expand into individual shapes, some seemed to be human, others were beasts, there were those that wore imposing looking armor, while others seemed to be naked, with only their claws to use as weapons.

"Seek and destroy!" Alucard commanded, extending his right arm in Orochi's direction

The dragon shaped helmet wrapped itself around his head, and wings sprouted from his back once more, taking to the skies Alucard charged head at a distracted Orochi, leading behind him an army of familiars.

Among his army there were those that were at level 100, however that was when he defeated them, even if he could to an extent duplicate those he has killed via Shi, he could not duplicate their full power. Yes, they may still feel and look like a level 100, they were far from that in terms of true power.

One of Orochi's head looked up, setting its gaze on Alucard, it let out a loud roar getting the attention of the others, who looked up almost immediately after. Acting quickly, Alucard commanded those that were flying with him, to go upwards and take refuge in the clouds, the beast had other plans as it opened fire at them. From its mouths erupted, blue flames wrapped in crimson lightning, Alucard was skilled enough to dodge the beams, however his summons were not so lucky. Many of them were taken out, left to vanish and go back to their resting place within Shi, the attacks stopped when Orochi noticed the "ants" attacking his legs.

His heads looked down, to see the sizable number of opponents delivering annoying blows to him, some were already climbing up his pillar like legs. From what remained of the buildings to its side, several spells began to be cast, all of them hitting the beast's hide, some of them strong enough to annoy it. This was followed by an attack from the skies, as Alucard and the rest of his familiars, rained down on Orochi, like a swarm of flies, it let out several annoyed growls, trying to stomp, or use his tails to swat away the attacking army.

Alucard landed on one of the rise heads, and rammed Shi into it, much to his frustration the blade didn't go pass the scales, however it went in between them. Using the rammed blade as a handle, Alucard takes a moment to look around, and from his point of view it seemed like the only thing they were being able to do was to annoy the creature. Suddenly the beast began to raise all of its heads, as if they were taking in a deep breath, it took him a moment to remember what this motion was a setup for, yet it didn't seem to take his familiars as much time to realize it.

Two of the familiars with the ability to fly, flew right into him, each taking an arm before taking off once more, dragging Alucard with them away from Orochi. He tried to free himself, all the while giving the mental command for the rest to retreat, however these two familiars did not obey, their directive to protect their master overriding his wishes.

* * *

 **Dragon Ball Super - Beerus' Madness**

Orochi continued to lift his heads, by now the attacks that still rained down on him seemed to have no effect at all, then they stopped, and he held in his breath, for a moment there was silence. Finally, the being opened its mouths, and several ear-piercing roars filled the air, as it was emanating beams of sound, Orochi directed his attention to his attackers, bathing them in a cry that would be audible across the entire capital, if not further.

The weakest of the familiars immediately exploded from the intensity, while others took more time to go down, ending up simply collapsing. The fires that surrounded Orochi were easily put to rest by the blasts, remains of buildings were rendered to simple dust under the incredible pressure of the beasts' voice. Alucard could only watch as most of his familiars were easily swept away, he could only be thankful that their defeat was not permanent, and that they would go back into Shi after defeat. Still if he wanted to call them back, it would take some considerable time, time he doubted this battle would give him.

The two familiars finally dropped him in a small square, before landing next to him and kneeling waiting for his next orders. It didn't take long for shadows to swarm to their location, followed by once more taking their corporeal form, from what he could see Alucard was counting around 100 survivors.

He couldn't help but let his eyes fall on one of them, he was as tall as Alucard himself, wearing a metallic armor, with a horned helmet, and a goatee, carrying a battle axe over his right shoulder. This man, Alrik, was one of the 1500 that had invaded Nazarick, a level 100 that Alucard took some effort to defeat, after all he was acting as leader of his squad, which Alucard had defeat before their clash, and he was the second strongest in his guild. Of course, at the time the plan was not for any of the guild members to engage the enemy, but Alucard was "lucky" enough to be in one of the lower floors when the invasion started, which lead to him deciding to stay there and fight.

That was in the past, now he needed to think of something else to do, since his plan to use his familiars to slow down Orochi, had been deceivably shutdown.

* * *

 **Attack on Titan - Vogel Im Käfig**

Talia sat back up, the motion was sudden and brutish, as if she was waking up from a bad dream, her breathing was heavy, her eyes darted around, and her mind was in disarray. She was naked, it made sense since Seth had landed such a devastating blow on her, but that did not explain why she was naked and unharmed. She was not in the same room, where was she, where was Lottus, where were the elves, where was Set, her eyes darted around, stopping almost immediately when they fell on a smiling Nyx.

"W…W-Where is Set!?" Talia asked, still on the alert

"He is dead. You killed him."

"B-But I don't remember…" the older Bride began to say, stopping when she understood what had happened

"In your state, it was unavoidable." Nyx remarked, placing a carrying hand on Talia's shoulder

"It is unsightly."

"It is how Alucard-sama, created us."

"Then, w-who stopped me?"

"Touka did."

Talia looked at her with a genuinely surprised gaze, with all her speed and techniques, Touka should have never been able to do such a thing, especially with her in that state. No, it made sense, depending on what her condition was at the moment, she could only assume it was bad.

"I had to undress you to take care of all of the damage. Even if I didn't your armor is no longer usable, you should change to your backup." Nyx said

"How's Touka?"

"She's fine. She went to check out Set's chamber."

"I-I see…" Talia mumbled, going back into silence

"How much power did I use?" she asked, looking at the damage around them

"I'm not sure. But I don't think you were in the right condition to use 100% of your raw power."

Talia got back to her feet, and went into her inventory, there she found her backup armor, which was akin to that worn by the female warriors the Amazons. Putting it on, she couldn't help but feel out of place, and weak, after all Nyx was still wearing her armor, and from what she understood so was Touka.

"Look who's up." Touka remarked, in the distance

Talia and Nyx looked in the direction of the voice to see Touka and Lottus walking towards them. The Lich seemed to be slow in his movements, a side effect of having been revived, Talia eyed down her sister, definably she looked to be alright, with no visible damage because of her, that was good to know.

"I see that you have dispatched Set." Lottus remarked

"Where are the siblings?" Talia asked, looking at Touka

"Well, they were beyond recovery."

* * *

 **Bleach – Number one**

"Should we get going?" Nyx asked

"Things do seem to be going downhill up there." Touka remarked, with a weak laugh

"It is powerful. Beyond our power…" Talia added

"B-Beyond Otō-san's." Nyx said

"Perhaps beyond the 4 of us." Touka said, with a small grin

All of them, even Lottus, felt the presence of the World Class Enemy that rested right above their heads, truly it was an overwhelming presence. They felt nothing else than certain death just by simply considering going to help fight it, yet their resolves were never stronger, they shock in place, not only because of the fear Orochi created, but because they knew if these were their final moments, they would be spending it with their superior.

"I want to hug Otō-san once more." Nyx mumbled

"This will hurt, won't it?" Touka laughed

"You are all wasting time." Lottus pointed out

"Let's go. Alucard-sama is waiting for us." Talia informed

"[Gate]." Nyx said, opening a portal

"Move out."


	66. A God's pride, a Man's will to live

**Bleach – Senna**

Zesshi threw herself into the ground as Malekith rammed his blade into the wall, keeping a hold on her weapon, the half-elf brought the staff like weapon upwards hitting her father in the wrist. This was enough to cause him to give her some distance, yet failed to cause him to drop the item, she followed it up by jumping back to her feet, followed by charging straight at him.

She had to admit, she was stunned by how the fight was going, had she not understood the immensely stupid move Malekith made by summoning Orochi, Zesshi might have not understood why he was so weak. Outside of that, the simplicity of his attacks was baffling to say the least, it in no way compared to her fight with Alucard, who she now understood at the time was using nowhere near his full power.

However, all of this didn't mean she would win, Malekith was still stronger than her, the gap was just smaller. Looking down at the screen displaying her absorbed, seeing this as an opportunity to use that energy, Zesshi managed to close the distance between them, and as he brought his blade down on her, she lifted her free hand up to him.

"[Fireball]."

Flames engulfed the Elf King, making Zesshi think she had landed a good blow on him, much to her surprise, a hand emerged from the flames. It wrapped around her face and threw the half-elf into the wall, before he walked out of the resulting inferno, showing some burns, but none that caused any meaningful damage.

"Not good enough." he growled

Malekith lunged at his daughter, who barely managed to avoid his closed fist, resulting in it going through the wall. Taking advantage of this small opening, Zesshi hit him in the gut with the end of her weapon, before bringing it up on his chin, sending the king staggering backwards. Brining her blade upwards on her stunned opponent, Zesshi let out an annoyed grunt when he used his blade to stop hers, followed by releasing a barrage of electricity through it and into her. Luckily for Zesshi, her armor was able to absorb part of the attack, to which the Elf King kicked her in the gut for sending her staggering backwards. Malekith used his free hand to clean the small stream of blood that dripped down from the corner of his mouth, before speaking.

"You must try harder, child. Your mother put up a better fight, all the while I raped her."

* * *

 **Naruto Shippuden - Scene of a Disaster**

Brain had just finished healing Mathius and Thelsea, the process had taken much longer then he expected, he could only be thankful that it was over, and they were fully healed. As he looked around, at Kaia and Clementine who had been busy dealing with the insects that had tried to attack them. Not only them, but some of the undead that had been freed from Mathius and the Kloid's control, when the Overlord was driven into such a weakened state.

A [Gate] opened not too far from them, from it emerged Touka, Nyx, Lottus, Talia, and finally Alucard.

"I'm glad that everyone made it to this point on the mission." he said looking around

His eyes went to Talia, seeing that she was in her backup armor made him feel terrible for having sent her, Lottus and siblings to fight Set. The fact the elves weren't there, told him they most have been killed in such a way that bringing them back was impossible, this left a displeasing taste in his mouth, knowing they died because of him.

"It's good to see that you and Lottus made it." he said

"Yeah~ I'm surprised that you made it~" Clementine remarked, looking at the Lich

"Well made it is a kind of a stretch." Touka informed, before Lottus could speak

"As if I would allow myself to be killed so easily." Lottus growled back

"How did you survive? From what we understood, you used [Sacrificial Limit Breaking] to damage Set." Talia asked

"Indeed. I used it, in order to cast the spell [Super Nova]."

"You survive using a 10th tier spell!? That's very good. Well done Lottus."

"Your words humble me."

"Now, Talia how did your end of the fight go?"

"M-My apologies, b-but I remember very little of it." Talia replied

"She was in pretty bad state when I came across her. I had to subdue her, and Nyx had to spend some time healing her." Touka informed

Alucard felt a shiver go through his body, he knew the risks but knowing that Talia had to go that far because of him, made him feel terrible. What Touka had just said was enough to tell him Talia had gone into a [Blood Rage], and the fact Touka was able to stop her, only told him in how bad a shape the older Bride was. He wanted to embrace her, he wanted to embrace her and never let go, to protect her in order to avoid her meeting the same fate as her namesake, but he knew that was impossible. That's why Alucard did nothing, as his eyes moved on to Nyx, where he noted the very particular damage her armor, damaged that seemed to go through it, meaning whatever cause it would have had to go through her limbs.

"How was your fight, Nyx?"

"The target managed to take all of my limbs. But he was foolish enough to think that was enough to beat me, after that the fight was rather boring." she replied

"I see. What about you Touka?"

Touka flinched slightly, at the sound of his question, her eyes moved around nervously, one thing was to tell Nyx, the other was to tell Alucard she had let her target live, even if she had a perfectly good explanation for doing so.

"I-I let my target live." she replied

"Why?" Alucard asked, in a calm manner

"There was no reason for me to kill her. I saw the people she had down there as "servants", they were all people she took under her protection. All of those that were discarded, and using her influence, she helped them, t-there was no reason for me to kill someone like her."

"Very well. I will accept your judgment."

"T-Thank you, Alucard-sama." Touka said, with a deep bow

* * *

 **Hunter x Hunter 2011 - The Man of the Reversed Cross**

The Supreme Being turned to look at Brain, Clementine, Mathius, Thelsea, and Kaia, he was very pleased with how well they seemed to have handled their part of the mission. However, his attention was now focused on Kaia, who he was certain had been the source of the disturbance that had hit the city. For a moment he was unsure if he should even point it out, so great was the mark it left on him, a feeling that went beyond anything he had ever felt, something that must have gone beyond himself.

"Kaia, I take it that what we felt not to long ago was you?"

"Yes. He was hurting father and mother." she replied, in a cold manner

"Either way, I must thank you for joining the fight. Your power will be of great help, given our current predicament."

"That will not happen." Thelsea growled back

"Thelsea, at a time like this you must have an open mind." Mathius informed, walking up to her

"And let them sacrifice her to that thing!? Never!"

"Thelsea, if you don't let her help us, it will only make stopping Orochi even harder. What do you think will happen if we fail to stop it here?" Alucard argued back

"Nazarick can stop it." Brain spoke up, getting everyone's attention

"Thick skulled aren't you?" Touka mumbled

"That is not an option." Alucard informed, calmly

* * *

 **Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - Pride**

"Why not!? Did you look at that thing!? How can we, possibly hope to ever defeat it!?" Brain spat back, motioning at everyone around him

"We can handle this, we just need to wait for Zesshi to get…" Alucard's words were cut off midway by the human

"We can't wait. I've already used up most of the supplies I was given, just to heal up Mathius and Thelsea. That Elite almost butchered all of them. We cannot leave this all up to if Zesshi can do this, we have to call for help!"

Brain tried to look around, hoping to see someone get on his side, but all that he got was a hateful stare from Talia and Nyx, while Touka simply facepalmed.

"Idiot…" she mumbled

"I am not calling Ainz, or anyone else. I've told you this before, once we stepped out of Nazarick we could no longer depend on them." Alucard argued

"I-I understand why we had to leave, but that does not mean Ainz won't help us!" Brain said

"Ainz, and Nazarick, are a nonfactor in this."

"Does his suggestion, hurt your pride, Alucard?" Thelsea chuckled, her tone transmitting some venom

"How dare you!?" Talia growled

"Talia." Alucard said, in a commanding tone

"M-My apologies."

The vampire looked back at the succubus, his fists clenched and teeth gritted, in a sense she was right, and that annoyed him. It had been said before, or at least hinted at by others, that he seemed almost happy with how things turned out when it came to Albedo, and him having to leave, after all he was the one that brought up the idea.

Unlike Ainz, Alucard had never seen Nazarick as his home, and even if he had freedom, he always found himself bound to the Tomb. He wanted to go out and truly see the world, to have some purpose for himself, and not what Ainz wanted to do, with his ever-present funnel vision. It was easier to let Ainz do his own thing, while he worked on his own project, and as much as it pained him to admit it what Albedo did gave him a great opportunity.

Something else that had made his time in Nazarick somewhat displeasing was how Ainz had placed him under the control of Downfall of Castle and Country, and had yet to free him from it. Even if the item was carefully locked away, the ever present feeling of losing his free will had never truly gone away, even if Alucard had masterfully managed to hide such feelings, after all that was his job. None of this made him feel any kind of anger, or dislike, towards Ainz he understood his options, that being the reason he had never said anything, and had opted with leaving, or most visibly somewhat distancing himself from his guildmaster.

* * *

 **Hunter X Hunter 2011 - Legend of the Martial Artist**

"You are correct. I acted out upon my own selfish desires." Alucard said, before looking back at Brain

"However, I placed those desires to good use, by giving Zesshi what she wanted…" Clementine took it upon herself to finish his sentence

"Revenge~"

"By now more than that." Alucard corrected

"The point is, I put my desires to go use in building us a home, a true home. All of you, who are looked down upon by those in Nazarick. Who feared what would happen if I happened to no longer be around. I simply want to make that right, whatever happens, know this, this kingdom will be ours, but most importantly yours."

"I-I understand that, b-but what will we do against that thing, then!?" Brain asked back, his faith somewhat restored

"We'll play it smart. After all we brought something that may help us deal with Orochi. And with the help of Kaia, we should also be able to do some damage."

"She…" Thelsea tried to growl back, but her daughter spoke over her

"I agree to help."

"But I cannot let you endanger yourself for them." her mother remarked

"But I'm helping. I also want to have a home, away from the Mines." Kaia said

Thelsea went to argue back, but Mathius placed a hand on her shoulder, the succubus looked back at her man's face. It was but a skull, however after spending so much time with him, Thelsea could read all the unseen thoughts.

"Fine! But remember we also want to be part of this kingdom of yours, just like them." she announced

"As we had discussed before, you will have your life on the surface." Alucard said

"Then you can count us in."

"What's the plan?" Brain asked, in an almost defeated manner

* * *

 **Attack on Titan – DOA**

"Before we left I had Talia, Touka and Nyx, stock up on Sealing Crystals. If they haven't used any of them we should have about 20 of them." Alucard informed

"We have 50 actually." Touka corrected

"I guess I had more than I thought." the vampire laughed, thinking of the possibilities

"Well…" Touka mumbled

"Touka actually appropriated some from Nazarick." Talia added

"You weren't supposed to say that!" the younger Bride hissed

"Moving on. How many do we have that could possibly cause some damage?" Alucard asked

"Best case scenario only 10 of them would be able to damage Orochi." Talia replied, in a more somber tone

"Then we'll have to make the best out of it till Zesshi get's her hands on the item." Alucard remarked

"Clementine, Lottus, Brain, Kaia. I want you to go to the other side of the tower and get the Hand of Transcendence that fell near the base of it."

"It won't be an easy task to accomplish." Mathius said, getting Alucard's attention

"Outside of what remains of the insects, I have lost control over some of the undead. Are you certain they are enough to get the Hand?"

"I'm sure they will be able to do it, and I'm counting on several enemies. It will give Kaia a change to power up even further, we will need that power to face Orochi."

"Then what will we do?" Thelsea asked, motioning to herself and Mathius

"Remain somewhere safe, and move the undead that are still under your control to attack Orochi."

"I don't see what good that will do… But fine, we'll do it." the Succubus growled back

"Alright, we have 5 minutes before moving out. Get ready till then."

Having their orders everyone used those 5 minutes to get prepared and rest as much as they could, all the while Orochi was seen in the background dealing with what remained of Alucard's familiars.

"You don't seem to be able to keep your mouth shut, do you?" Touka remarked, approaching Brain

"I have to speak my mind, once in a while." the man chuckled back

"You do, but you could choose a better situation to do it in."

"Well… It's that I really don't want to die… not while there are things I still want to do."

Brain informed, giving her an awkward chuckle followed by his face reddening a little. Touka was about to wonder why he would make such an expression, when Nyx appeared out of nowhere, hanging off from her left shoulder.

"Brain, your face is so red!" she pointed out

"Is it!? I guess it must be the heat of battle." the human laughed, preparing to walk away

"Is it not because you like Touka?" Nyx aksed, letting go of Touka's shoulder

"What!?" both Brain and Touka gasped

The older Bride was about to teach her sister a lesson in keeping her mouth shut, but before she could do it, Nyx was already next to Alucard quietly laughing at her.

"Clever girl." Touka mumbled, also walking in Alucard's direction

Brain sighed, he could not get that riled up before the time came to take another huge step towards their goal.

"The 5 minutes are up." Alucard roared, getting everyone's attention

"Is everyone ready?" he asked, looking around and receiving a collective nod in reply

"Good. Now, move out."


	67. Awakening

**Hunter x Hunter 2011 – Try Your Luck**

Malekith swung his blade widely, blows that given their speed Zesshi found herself having to drive her senses to the max, in order to perceive and avoid them. Ducking under one of the swings, the half-elf spun around trying to target her father's legs, however he replied by jumping back.

Ramming his blade into the floor, the Elf King proceeded to send electricity through the floor, the result was sending large chunks of it flying in all directions. The fact Zesshi avoid every and each piece of debris, with little to no effort, honestly didn't surprise Malekith, she had his blood in him, and during their fight, he had learned she was capable of that much. Lunging through the debris, the elf went for a punch, which his daughter replied by throwing herself to the right and unleashing [Lightning].

The spell hit her opponent in the face, sending him staggering backwards with a angered snarl, the half-elf didn't stop there, hitting him in the chest with the backend of her weapon. Zesshi followed this by bringing her blade down on him, ready to slice him in half, acting quickly Malekith took a step aside, resulting in her blade going through his robes.

"Dammit!" Malekith roared, in annoyance

 **Naruto Shippuden - Girei**

His roar was followed by another multidirectional blast of electricity forcing Zesshi to place some distance between them. His breathing began to become heavy, as unfiltered rage began to show in his face, first he had lost his necklace, and now with his robe damaged its protecting effects were nullified.

"Not bad." Malekith remarked, masterfully hiding his anger

"I'm just getting started." Zesshi informed, taking her stance once more

"Like wise."

Upon uttering these ominous words Malekith placed his free hand on the floor, before speaking the necessary command.

"[Double Summon: Hight Tier Deep One, Deep One Priest]!"

Two blue arrays took shape on the floor, one to the Elf King's right and the other to the left, from said arrays a gelatinous mass of water rose. Slowly they took shape in what Zesshi could describe as fish people, they wore expensive looking robes, golden headdress, and many other gold based accessories. Even if they looked somewhat different, what Zesshi could see was exactly the same, was the book they carried in their left hand.

"Don't forget you are fighting a summoner."

* * *

The newly summoned opponents began to move at the same time, while doing the same motions, they opened their books and began to read. What happened next completely shocked the half-elf, she couldn't understand a thing of what they were saying, not wanting to think too much about it, Zesshi justified it with most what they said seemed to be gurgles.

When they stopped speaking, an array formed in front of the one to her left, while 3 arrays formed in front o the one to her right. Like when Malekith had summoned them, 4 shapes rose from the ground, before taking a solid form. The one to her left looked somewhat feminine in nature, also wearing similar clothing to the Priests, she was in fact a Deep One Barb, a being that used her voice to attack. The others were naked, wielding impressive looking spears, they were Deep One Warriors.

"Attack!" Malekith ordered, followed by the Priests giving the same command in their language

 **Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - Versus Homunculus**

Zesshi prepared herself for whatever could come next, being face with these unknown opponents right in the middle of her fight with Malekith was not ideal, but she understood they would have to be dealt with before she could get near him.

The Bard took in a deep breath, before opening her mouth surprisingly wide directing her screech at Zesshi, who decided to run away from the attack opting with taking on the Warriors. The 3 fishmen didn't hesitate to go straight at her, with their spears eager to pierce her flesh, given their rather amateurish charge, Zesshi easily jumped over them using her scythe to slice through the head of the one in the middle. Landing behind them, she spun around in time to see the one she killed disintegrate into a pile of translucid slime.

The other two went back on the offensive as if nothing had happened, ducking under the spears Zesshi brought her blade upwards impaling one of the Warriors, followed by a moving her scythe to the left, cutting through part of the body of the one she had already injured and the one next to it. Directing her attention to the Priest that stood not too far away from her, she raised her free hand calling forth and sending a [Acid Javelin].

The creature didn't even move, it calmly flipped a few pages of its book, gurgle a few words, resulting in a wall of water forming between it and the attack, completely blocking the spell.

The sound of several explosions going off outside, followed by Orochi's growls, distracted Zesshi for a moment. It frustrated her to know that while she was here dealing with Malekith, Alucard and the others were dealing with an enemy, that from what she understood they would never be able to defeat. That was unless she managed to get the Elf King's World Class Item, if that was true she knew she could not let these small fry get in between her and victory.

"Are you worried?" Malekith chuckled, bringing her mind back to the fight

"It seems your friends have come up with another strategy to battle Orochi. It is pointless, of course. There is nothing they can do, that could kill Orochi."

"Then what will you do, if it turns on you?" Zesshi asked

"Orochi can't turn on me, since I was the one that summoned him. Even if that did happen, with Kusanagi I can deal with him. That being said, you should worry about yourself."

* * *

 **Hunter x Hunter 2011 - The Anthill**

A grin formed on the Elf King's face, as once more the Barb began her song, acting quickly Zesshi threw herself to the other side of the room, doing her best to avoid the unnatural sensations caused by the sound. What happened next not even Zesshi herself knew out to explain, she had been indeed hit by the song, which at first began by making her feel cold, now she felt something akin to a headache.

Slowly sounds started to flood her mind, the sound of the ocean couple with the cold, brought up in her the terrifying thought of drowning, then came the gurgling voices. Her body began to shake, forcing her to ram her scythe into the ground, which eventually did her no good as the Barb's song eventually drove her to her knees.

Zesshi's breath became ragged, her vision was now blurry as if she was watching everything through a wall made out of water. Forcefully her eyes went up towards Malekith and his soldiers, she cursed herself for being as weak minded as she seemed to be, and for now having apparently backed herself into a corner.

Her arms began to move up, their motion uneasy and fearful, she felt absolutely terrified for some reason she could not even fathom, this lead her to jump straight to her trump card, Zesshi placed her hands together.

"This again…" Malekith mumbled, gritting his teeth

Letting out an angered growl, Malekith threw his weapon in a sign this fight had lost all interest for him. The blade pierced into her left shoulder, that with the force behind it and Zesshi's currently weakened form, was enough to send her flying and pin her body into the wall.

 **Death Note - Teloelogy of Death**

The Elf King slowly walked towards her, the Bard had stopped her eternal song she along with the Priests were waiting for their next command.

"Your mother also did that once. Magnificent technique, however…" the Elf-King paused, his rage growing more visible

"I am not in the mood, to deal with any more of your little tricks."

Closing the distance between himself and his struggling daughter, Malekith placed his hand around his weapons handle, and produced just enough electricity to separate the arm from the body.

A painfilled cry echoed through the air, as the most excruciating pain went through her body, placing her right hand on the stomp Zesshi fell on her side, with an audible cry.

 **Bleach - Nothing can be explained**

Her breath was ragged, fast, and almost degenerated into a true pain filled sob, her eyes darted to her missing arm, to her father, to the hole that lead to the outside where Alucard and the others were. Her already affected mind, went into a true state of panic, as Zesshi pitifully placed herself on her belly, and seemed to try and drag herself away from her attacker.

"Pathetic." Malekith mumbled, placing his foot on her back

Zesshi didn't manage to hear what he said, she was too wrapped up in the feeling of having lost a limb, a pain she had never been trained to resist, or had ever imagine experiencing. Her mind went to when Alucard lost his arm during their fight, and how he continued fighting even with such great a loss. Of course, being an undead must have helped, but he pushed on all the same, not even letting such a thing phase him.

While she was now on the floor, borderline crying from the pain and wanting to give up, her mind weakened from the Barb's attack, and now her body being beaten by Malekith. How could anyone expect her to be able to beat him? What could she possibly hope to be able to do, now that she lost her trump card?

Malekith grabbed on to hand full of his daughter's hair, followed by forcefully lifting her up, he took this time to look at her broken form, it was truly a pathetic display. It shamed him to know that in her was his blood, that something he created could be able of such weak displays, truly she was of no use to him. With little effort, Malekith pushed Zesshi downwards into the floor, smashing her face into the ground, effectible immobilizing her.

"I shall make your death a quick one. After what you've managed to do, you've earned that much." the Elf-King announced, picking up Zesshi's weapon as he walked away

* * *

 **Shin Godzilla - Who will know**

Zesshi's eyes opened wide as she sat back up, she looked back and forth, as many times as she did this her surroundings didn't change, everything had gone dark, empty. After this realization dawned on her, all of the pain resulting of the fight came crashing back, struggling to make it back to her feet Zesshi once more looked around.

This time she saw a light in the distance, placing her hand on her left side, feeling what seemed to be broken ribs, the half-elf pushed her body forwards in its direction.

After what seemed to be an eternity of walking, Zesshi could finally make up what the source of light was. The generic silhouette of a man sat on a small bench, in front of him was a fire, to his right was a hooded figure, and to his left was an empty seat.

Zesshi stopped next to them, going against her instincts she was silent waiting to be acknowledge, the man lazily turned his head to the side, so his left eye would fall on her.

"Don't be shy, sit." he spoke, in what seemed to be a familiar voice

"T-Thank you."

"Don't mention it." the man said, using a metallic bar to poke at the burning wood

"D-Do you have any healing potions? I-I'm in need… of some help." Zesshi said, looking back at her missing arm

"Help?" the robbed figure asked

"Y…" Zesshi was about to reply, but the man spoke first

"What seems to be bothering you?"

Zesshi looked at both of them with a shocked expression, was it not visible that she had lost and arm and was currently bleeding out?

"I-I'm missing an arm! I need help." she roared out

The two figures looked at each other, before letting a laugh, which only served to further anger the confused half-elf.

"Please don't get upset. It can't be helped…" the man quickly pointed out

"Since I have no need for them. Most of the time." the figure informed

"And I don't know what those are." the man added

"T-Then how…" once more her words were cut halfway, when the man lifted the metal rob from the fire

On the end of the rod as a superheated disk, that for some reason Zesshi saw fit to compare its diameter to that of an arm, causing her to gulp.

"I can stop your bleeding with this." he informed

"That's barbaric!" Zesshi and the hooded figure gasped

"Fine." the man sighed, throwing the rod back into the fire

"Point being, we can't help you."

"Well I can't. She may be able to." the silhouette corrected, before getting hit on the back of the head by his companion

"Be quiet!"

Zesshi took this moment to look around at the empty space, trying to ignore the duo's inability to say anything of helpful, she found that her frustration only grew as her mind was unable to comprehend what was going on.

* * *

"Who are you people?" she asked, looking back at them

"Well my name is Jack, Jack Briefs." the man replied

She froze at the sound of those words, which seemed to echo in her mind till the voice became that of Alucard, this was followed by her eyes picking up the other figure removing its cloak. Sitting to Jack's right, Zesshi saw herself, the woman looked exactly the same, just with a missing right arm, not left.

"What's going on!?" she growled, staggering back to her feet

"You're about to die." Jack replied, in a more serious tone

"It's going to be a coward's death." her other self added

"What a shame, Zesshi. You had so much potential, so much strength, what good will that do if you can't use it properly?" Jack asked

"He is just too strong, I cannot keep up with him!" Zesshi argued back

"Perhaps you are right. After all, what does a simple human like me know, right? What can a simple human like me ever hope to do?"

Zesshi clenched her fist, gritted her teeth, feeling as if this "simple human" had just spat at her and was now internally laughing at her. It was true, he was just a normal man, a normal man who had been given a body that was not his own, powers that were not his own, and made something out of it. A man who now stood as a Supreme Being, an existence equal to the gods of the Theocracy, yet at the same time he was still so simple, so mortal.

It was Jack who had shown her limitations, it was Jack who had shown her how to improve, and in the end she had done little with what he had shown her. The moment Alucard was sent flying out of the tower, to fight something that seemed to terrify him, the fact she was left alone with her father, everything he had shown her was gone, it was her and her vengeance once more.

"You can still save yourself. Can't she, honey?" Jack spoke, looking at the other Zesshi

"Don't call me that." she growled

"Tsundere." the human chuckled

"Don't call me that either!" she growled, pouting

"What he means, is that you can beat Malekith. Even with your bodies current condition."

"B-But, I've got nothing else! I lost my arm, he beat me down… I've got nothing else I can do." Zesshi pointed out

"Can't you pray with only one arm?" Jack mumbled

Alucard had said it before, and she had tried her best to make it possible, but in the end she had never been able to accomplish it.

"She can do it. If she wants to." the other Zesshi remarked

"How!?" Zesshi asked, rushing to her other selves' side

"Wrong question."

"What?" she asked back, baffled

"If there was a way to do it, you would have already found it. There is more to this then that." Jack replied

"Be silent! You are spoiling her."

"Whatever you say…"

* * *

 **Attack On Titan Season 2 - Call of Silence**

Zesshi looked on as the duo traded a few more verbal jabs, ignoring them she thought of what was the right question. If knowing how to do it was wrong, then what should she be thinking about, her mind was still a mess from before, meaning that nothing came to mind immediately. Then came her wish to defeat Malekith, but that had been the thing that had driven her, her entire life, everything she did was in order to kill him, to avenge her mother.

Then why hadn't she been able to do it? Her goal now was still the same, to defeat him, to kill him, nothing had changed, or had it? She wanted to avenge her mother that hadn't changed, but there was also Alucard the man turned god whom she loved, there was Talia the woman whose mutual love for Alucard she had accepted. There were Touka, Nyx, Lottus, Brain, and even Clementine, who had shown her a more stimulating and free way of living.

She wanted to live in order to see all of them again, yet there was something else, perhaps the thing that had changed the most in her, the elves. The elves she once saw disposable if it meant her father's defeat, they were her kin, and she was to be their future Queen, even if that didn't happen, they deserved to live free of a war brought about by their monster of a King.

"Why?" Zesshi spoke up

"That is the right question! I need this power, because I want to save the elven people, I want to defeat my father and bring peace to this kingdom. I could care less, if in the end I become their Queen or not! I just want to free them from this meaningless war… A… And I want to go back to Alucard, and the others… And I'm dammed if I don't give it my all to make that happen!"

"Not bad." Jack chuckled

"Then, help me up." the other Zesshi said, lifting her hand

Grabbing on to her double's hand, the half-elf pulled her up and towards herself, as she did so the sitting figure became lighter then air turning into golden flames as it clashed into her. Form a moment Zesshi almost panicked fearing that the flames would burn her, naturally nothing happened, all the while Jack had a big grin on his face.

"When you get back, be sure to say this…"

* * *

 **Boku no Hero Academia - Plus Ultra**

Malekith was still walking towards his summons when he felt something behind him, turning around he was hit by a massive wave of heat, as Zesshi's body was engulfed in golden flames. The aura grew wildly in all directions, easily hitting the ceiling as they went, under his surprised eye the unconscious body of his daughter began to move, something he had made sure wouldn't happen when he smashed her head into the floor.

The body sluggishly pushed itself back on to her knees, her hair was a mess completely obscuring the side of her face, even so Malekith could see the yellow glow coming from under it.

"W-What…" he tried to speak, but her voice overwhelmed his

"Elf-King. You believe I cannot pray with a single arm?" she asked, mechanically getting back to her feet

Zesshi's aura began to dissipate, yet the flames that now had the same length as an arm didn't lose any intensity. Malekith was about to speak, when she lunged at him with speed great enough to leave him unable to react, not even when she easily took back her weapon as she jumped over him.

By the time Malekith turned around, his minions had been slayed, again it was just him and his daughter.

"Let's finish this." she announced


	68. Denting the Armor

**Naruto Shippuden - Reverse Situation**

Malekith watched his newly powered up daughter in wonder. The stump that resulted from her missing limb, had been forcefully closed by the muscles in what remained of her arm and this newly formed aura. In place of that arm, her aura had taken the shape of a whip replacing it, while the rest of her body was covered by a golden outline, with some flames blowing off of her from time to time.

"W-What is this?" The Elf King growled growled in confusion.

Zesshi did not reply, instead lunging straight at her opponent. This time she was slower than before, so Malekith was able to attack her. Going for a downwards swing, he saw himself miserably fail to hit her as his weapon went into the ground, when Zesshi threw herself to his left and brought her blade down on him. Malekith responded by throwing himself back avoiding the blade, but failing to avoid the whip like flame that had now replaced her arm.

The flame made contact with his body, sending a burning sensation through his being, as it slowly sliced through his left shoulder. Letting out a angered cry, the Elf-King then unleashed another multi-directional attack, forcing Zesshi to distance herself from him.

"To answer your earlier question, this is the power of a god!" Zesshi announced with conviction in her voice.

* * *

 **Boku no Hero Academia - Villain Invasion**

Alucard, Talia, Touka, and Nyx were locked in a hopeless battle. At first the plan was to use Alucard's familiars and crystals to attack Orochi. However, when they rejoined the fight, only five familiars were left. Even with the nine of them together, the only thing they managed to accomplish was losing the rest of the familiars, wasting crystals, and angering the Orochi.

Alucard blamed himself for this, for his lack of ability to proficiently use his familiars. It was something he now admitted he should have put time into. Now, only he and his Brides remained in the main fight against the monster, with their only hope being in Zesshi's victory against Malekith.

Speaking of which, and as much as it pained him to admit it, since he needed all his attention on the enemy in front of him, part of his mind went to Zesshi, and the fact he had heard nothing from her since he left the tower. Once again, he was blaming himself for cutting her off over their last link. But it could not be helped, since he had to focus on the enemy before him, just like he needed to now.

Touka stopped behind a demolished house. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and her legs were absolutely killing her. Her distinct characteristic was her speed, one that when at a 100% made her faster than Alucard. However, for something like that to be achieved certain drawbacks were in effect. One of them being that to maintain such a speed, she could only do so for short bursts. Her mobility also was greatly affected, and finally it slowly delivered backlash damage to her legs.

By this point, since it was her task to distract Orochi, her legs had taken considerable damage. So much so she would go into a limp walk whenever she stopped running. Her eyes went beyond the debris, as she saw one of the head's eyes stopping on her, before beginning to lunge at her, mouth opened wide. Naturally, Touka went back to running, but after just a few steps, her legs had stiffened, causing her to crash onto the ground.

"D-Dammit…" She hissed, struggling to return to her feet.

Orochi continued its advance, with the small distance she had covered in her "run", being nothing before the wide maw of the beast, and its unstoppable advance. For a moment it seemed like this was it for her, after all the rest were busy distracting and trying to damage the other heads, or so she thought.

 **Boku no Hero Academia - You Say Run**

A mighty war cry echoed through the air, getting Touka's attention. From a nearby building to her left, Talia emerged throwing herself at the incoming Orochi head.

Talia clenched her left fist tightly as she reeled her arm back, apparently planning on delivering a blow to Orochi, something that should be impossible. As the older Bride got close to the creature's eye, her arm seemed to almost double in size, as she unleashed 100% of her true, raw power.

Her fist made contact with the beast's eye, causing a massive shockwave that sent debris and dust flying in every direction through the nearby area. The Orochi let out a painfilled hiss, something he had only done a few times since being summoned, as its head crashed into the ground and the affected eye exploded in a gory crimson display.

Touka almost let out a shocked gasp at her sister's feat, however she knew what Talia was capable of, and given the situation she should be able to do that much.

"Not bad." Touka remarked, when Talia appeared just a few feet away from her.

"I'm going to call Alucard-sama and Nyx back from battle. We need to regroup."

"Fine. Just pick me up, and take us away from here. I think you just pissed it off."

Talia placed Touka over her right shoulder before making their escape. Since her left arm at the moment was close to useless. This was her skill's drawback, since indeed she was capable of showing strength rivaling a level 100. However, this strength was almost completely limited to a straight blow, like the previous punch, and had a deteriorating effect on her limbs.

[Alucard-sama, Nyx, we need to regroup.] Talia informed via [Message].

* * *

The group came together in a hidden spot placed at a good distance from the Orochi, and for the moment letting the creature do as it pleased. Alucard looked at both Talia and Touka, immediately understanding what was affecting them. Given the drawn out and desperate nature of the fight, it didn't surprise him at all.

"Talia, placed Touka down. Nyx will heal the both of you." He calmly informed.

Looking at the monster that growled in the distance, Alucard thought of how he could at least buy them some true recovery time and deal some damage to Orochi. As he did this, he materialized in his hand the crystal that held their strongest spell, [Perses Wrath]. With it, Alucard should be able to do some damage. No, he had to be sure he damaged Orochi with it.

 **Attack on Titan season 2 - Barricades**

"I'm going back." he announced

"Then, I will go with you." Talia said, beginning to approach him.

"No, you won't. You will stay here and be healed by Nyx."

"I-I apologize, but I cannot let you go alone. It is far too dangerous. Alucard-sama might…" Talia continued, until Alucard spoke over her.

"Die? Don't worry, I don't plan on dying so soon." Alucard calmly said with a smile.

"I… V-Very well. Please be careful." Talia said, with a defeated tone.

"I always am."

Giving the Brides a confident smile, Alucard went back into the air, shooting upwards until he was completely out of view. Looking down at the city below, he took in a deep breath, before speaking.

"Shi. Awaken!"

The Orochi was looking around, his attention focused on finding the beings there were attacking him. After dealing with them for so long, he knew they weren't simply gone but were hiding. Having concluded that looking around, or waiting, wasn't enough the creature decided that the next step would be open fire on his surroundings.

As he was about to open fire, his senses detected something coming down from above, and all heads moved upwards to see a black mass falling from the sky. Understanding that whatever it was, it was in fact a threat, Orochi opened fire, filling the sky with his beams.

Using his enhanced state, Alucard found himself able to dodge the clumsy attacks, even if the heat created by those attacks that he avoided were enough to leave an enormous impression. The Orochi however was no fool, seeing his prey getting close, he stopped firing his beams, deciding to use his screech attack once more.

This time the Supreme Being felt the full effect of the blow. His ears began to ring, and soon enough his head became heavy, his thoughts slowed down, and his body felt as if it was being compressed. Alucard knew he could not complain about the situation, since after all he was the one that had decided to use this strategy. So whatever came from it he knew he had earned.

Placing all he had on his armor's wings, Alucard moved his trajectory to the head that was the furthest to the left, thinking that he could use this opportunity not only to damage said head but also one of Orochi's legs. Feeling his armor also give way under the sound, Alucard stopped bothering with giving his wings any use, instead letting gravity drive him straight into the creature's mouth.

When Orochi saw the opponent, seemingly giving up and going straight into his open maw. The creature stopped the attack, allowing his prey to go freely inside, before then closing its mouth.

For a moment nothing happened, but then a wet explosion echoed throughout the capital, followed by Orochi's agony filled cries. The neck of the head that had swallowed Alucard, had exploded upon the activation of [Perses Wrath] inside its own body.

The mighty neck slowly fell onto the ground, leaving in its place a macabre display of burnt flesh, from where a mix of blood, smoke, and lava which dripped freely from the stump. The damage also covered part of the nearby sections of the body, in the shape of burnt skin and muscle. However, the leg didn't take as much damage as Alucard would have hoped.

The rest of the body seemed to contract and spasm in pain. The heads moving around wildly and his tails swung from side to side further damaging the area. Even if his legs were unaffected, Orochi still fell on his left side, having lost balance from the foreign sensation alone.

* * *

"Alucard-sama!" Talia cried out, readying herself to run towards the fallen Orochi.

"Don't." Touka growled.

"How can you say such a thing!? We just saw…" Talia began to speak, but Touka cut her off.

"I know what we just saw. I ask you this, do you think Alucard-sama did such a thing without a plan?"

Talia was rendered silent. Of course it made no sense for him not to have a plan, but her heart could not take it. Just thinking that Alucard might have sacrificed himself in that attack, just to get a good hit in on Orochi, it was too much.

"You have to keep calm. That's what Alucard-sama expects from us." Touka added, to which Talia simply nodded, tears almost falling down her cheeks.

 **Bleach - No Regresar**

Alucard was flat on his back. He had forcefully removed his helmet, and was considering doing the same for his compressed armor. His enhanced state was gone, his breathing was fast and erratic, and his exposed face seemed to be drenched in sweat. His eyes were focused on the ceiling, yet his lips were curled into a prideful smile, as Orochi's cries echoed through the area.

Several voices surrounded him, some seemed to be frightened, others curious. Some of those present even tried to approach him. Their apprehension was understandable, since he had used an item to teleport himself to this location, whatever it was. The item Alucard had used, was one given to everyone else in the group, which was to be used if they wished to escape a dangerous situation. However, it only guaranteed they were sent to the location of another random item.

That being said, Alucard wasn't sure where he was. Failing to move his body because of the state of his armor, he was limited to moving his head. It didn't take long for him to understand where he was, as he looked upwards, while moving his head back in order to see what was behind him, his eyes fell on Sarya.

"W-What, are you doing here?" She asked, visibly lost by the entire situation.

"I had to use the emergency item." The vampire replied, materializing another setup switching item in his open hand.

Crushing the item, Alucard reequipped his usual black armor, this allowing him to finally sit up and look around, at the large space that was being used as a shelter by the elves.

"Why!? What happened?" She asked, walking up and kneeling next to him.

"We had to damage Orochi somehow. So, I threw myself into one of his mouths, and detonated our strongest spell inside." Alucard replied, still visibly drained.

"Then your armor was damaged b-because, you had to wait and endure its attacks?" Sarya asked, almost horrified by the thought.

"Y-Yes… I will admit, it was not my smartest moment, but it worked…" He remarked, letting out a weak laugh.

His laughing came to an abrupt end, when Sarya openly smacked him over the head, all the while giving him an annoyed, yet saddened expression.

"How are you able of doing such a thing? Especially when you are so important to all of us?" She exclaimed, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"We were out of options, and I wasn't going to risk sending anyone else to do it, since it was too dangerous. And I had the item with me at all times, so if I felt I wasn't going to be able to make it, I would have escaped earlier." The Supreme Being replied, stumbling back to his feet.

Sarya also made her way back to her feet, when Alucard collapsed forwards, landing on all fours, and forcing her to kneel next to him once again. She knew that she was far too worried about him. A man that wasn't even her own, that would never look at her like she would like him to, but above all that, a man she truly knew little about.

Yet, those were but details in the face of what she did know, of what his goals were, and how for an undead, he was so kind and caring. The very least she could do, for the people that saved her life, and were now putting their lives on the line to save her people, was to care for them.

"Perhaps you should rest." Sarya suggested.

"I just need a moment." Alucard said with ragged breathing.

* * *

Alucard felt terrible, and it was most likely a side effect of having survived Orochi's attack. He could only imagine how it had affected him. At the moment, he felt numb and disorientated, with his body lacking the strength to get back up like he wished.

"H-How are they?" Alucard asked, trying to get his mind over his current condition.

"They are terrified. I've done my best to calm them down, and get them on our side. But I fear that when this is all over, it won't be easy to take over."

"I see… H-How many of them?"

At the sound of this question, Sarya fell back, sitting on the floor, her head lowered, and a few sobs became audible.

"Little over a 1000."

Alucard wasn't certain how many elves there were before this, but from her reaction and the size of the capital, he understood the losses had been massive.

"M-My apologies…" Alucard mumbled, managing to get back to his knees.

"What?" Sarya asked, in a low tone, as if she hadn't understood what he said.

 **Bleach - Never Meant To Belong**

"After all, if we hadn't come here after Malekith… Nothing... none of this would have happened." Alucard said in a mournful tone.

No words were said, but the audible sound of a slap echoed through the air. Sarya then looked up at the vampire she had just hit, her eyes drowning with tears. She bit down on her lower lip, desperately holding back her emotions.

"N-No… You can't say that. I-I won't allow it." She growled.

"I won't allow you to pity our pain, or our loss. Don't think of us as those who are suffering because of all of this. Think of us as those you are here to save, those that will, in the future, look up to you as what you are, heroes!" Sarya shouted, grabbing on to Alucard's shoulders.

Her outburst was met with a weak smile, the smile of a tired man, and someone who was desperately waiting for the order to rest. She was certain this was what all of those that followed him wanted. Lifting up her hands, Sarya began to carefully and calmly, fix Alucard's messy hair. She could see the hidden confusion on his face, but perhaps it was because of his current condition, there was no form of protest.

"Now, how are you feeling?"

"I-I'm, going to need healing…"

Alucard went to retrieve some of his items, just to have his hand pushed aside by Sarya, who followed this by taking out the items that had been given to her.

"Don't worry about me using these items. We can make due by ourselves." She then informed, starting to heal him.

"You know, when I was out in missions, and there were no healers on the group. I was the one that was left with fulfilling that role. My knowledge is rather basic, but they said it was better than nothing, and that I had a better attitude than most of our healers…" Sarya then briefly fell into silence before speaking again.

"B-But, enough about me… I'm sure you have other things to worry about. Like those two beautiful ladies, that are waiting for you to return. We can't keep them waiting, now can we?" The elf laughed, finishing the healing process.

"No. I guess we can't." Alucard replied, getting back to his feet.

"They are so lucky, to have someone like you by their side." She had mumbled, hoping Alucard would not pick up on it.

To this Alucard replied by placing a hand on her shoulder, while using the other to gently clean her tears, an action that gained him an immediate blush from the female elf.

"I-I, didn't m-mean…"

"Don't worry. I have no intention of leaving your side either. Or the side of anyone in this room. I will always be there. It may not be as you would like, but I will be there." Alucard explained, giving her a mischievous laugh, further reddening her face.

"T-That's not funny!" She pointed out with a pout.

"Sorry. I just wanted to lighten up the mood."

"Thank you. But, you should really get going. They must be worried."

"Then, I guess I'll see you soon."

"[Gate]!"

With that Alucard left, leaving a red faced Sarya surrounded by the rest of her people, while they all stared and tried to understand what was happening.


	69. Bow Down

**Hunter X Hunter 2011 - Legend of the Martial Artist**

Alucard emerged on the other side of the [Gate], it being location where he had left the Brides before going on to take Orochi. The beast, was now slowly getting back to its feet, he could see the rather nasty looking wound and the uneasiness that seemed to come to Orochi when he placed weight on the leg. His Brides were also looking on, seemingly having done nothing since he left, they now had turned around having felt his presence behind them.

Talia let out a sigh of relief, and for a moment allowed her emotions to overwhelm her by rushing towards her lover. Much to her surprise, and slight shock, the Supreme Being replied by briefly placing his left hand on the back of her head, followed by a brief kiss on the forehead, before walking away. To Nyx, who also seemed to be holding back her reaction, he gave a quick, yet warm, pat on the head, before joining Touka at the front.

"What did I miss?" he asked, in a serious tone

"Not much. W-We really didn't move after the attack." she replied

"I see."

"A-Alucard-sama…" Talia tried to speak, but he interrupted her

"Nyx, I want a [Gate] to the other's current location."

 **Attack On Titan - attack** **音** **D / Attack On "D"**

Clementine, Brain, Lottus stood in the middle of a pile defeated insects and undead, behind them resting on a small crater was the Hand of Transcendence. Kaia was nowhere to be seen, but the last time they saw her, she was being overwhelmed by a large group of insects.

"Are we done~?" Clementine asked

"T-They seem to h-have stopped…" Brain pointed out, trying to regulate his breathing

"For the moment that is." Lottus added

Not too far from them a [Gate] opened, from within came Alucard and his Brides, Brain let out a relieved sigh seeing that the cavalry had arrived.

"Where's Kaia?" Alucard asked, as he approached

"W-We don't know." Brain replied

"You lost her?"

"W-Well…" Brain tried to answer, but Lottus spoke over him

"We were swarmed, and she got a little too excited with the prospects of feeding on such a large group." the Lich replied

"Touka, go and search for…" the vampire began, this time Talia interrupted him

"That won't be necessary." she pointed out, looking to their right

All eyes went to that direction, Kaia slowly approached them, her dress had been torn to shreds, any wound she might have suffered had healed, and she kept the same expression. Her expression changed, when her eyes went to the stern look on Alucard's face, which made her slightly tilt her head to the side, as if in curiosity.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"In the future, refrain from getting too worked up during battle. There's no need to take unnecessary risks."

"I see. My apologies. But if I may ask, isn't flying into that creature's mouth an unnecessary risk?" Kaia remarked, with an innocent and interested tone

Alucard was surprised that she had managed to see it happen, even if she facing several enemies.

"However, it was a risk that had to be taken. It was our best chance to deal some real damage to Orochi. Someone had to do it." he replied

"I understand. Then, what shall we do now?"

"Nyx, got and see how Zesshi is doing. But don't interfere in the fight, not unless she truly needs it." Alucard instructed

 **GMK - Godzilla's Rage**

A loud roar echoed through the air, as Orochi directed his attention to the group, his eyes burned bright with hatred, his mouths opening wide to prepare for another barrage of attacks.

"Nyx go!" Alucard ordered

Not wanting to disobey her orders, the small vampire did as she was told, vanishing as Orochi finished charging his attack, and fired. However, nothing came out of the mouths, instead a large explosion made out of the same energy as the beams, erupted from the wound left behind by Alucard's attack. The beast let out a loud roar, his leg once more giving out and part of his massive body falling on to the ground as a result, the heads moved around wildly letting out several agonized cries.

Little did Alucard know, but his attack had more damage then he thought, in fact the blast had damaged the organ responsible for creating and distributing the attacks by the several heads. This meant, Orochi could no longer use the beam based attacks, still that didn't make him any less dangerous or difficult to kill.

* * *

 **Hunter x Hunter (2011) - The Last Mission**

Malekith fell to one knee, his body was covered in several shallow cuts and bruises, he now cursed himself for the foolish move that had been summoning Orochi, even more so as he heard the creatures painfilled cries. Zesshi had also gone beyond what he was expecting, this new power up she was using was unexpected, however he could see that it was draining her, meaning he could try to survive until she tiered herself out. No, that was not an option, she was now on the offensive, and him on the defensive, such a situation would not stand.

Zesshi charged head on, at this point in the fight she felt as she had little to worry about outside of the now slowing attacks. The Elf King staggered back to his feet as she got close, bringing his blade down on her, Zesshi easily avoided the blow swinging with her own blade, which Malekith replied with grabbing on to it.

This was not enough to stop her now, using the aura that was substituting for her missing arm, Zesshi extended it towards her father's head. Malekith quickly moved his head to the side, even so it was too late, as the aura scrapped the left side of his face and eye, blinding it.

"Damn it!"

The King roared out, unleashing another blast of electricity, forcing Zesshi to throw herself back and in the process leave her weapon in her foes hand. As soon as he feet touched the ground, Zesshi began to run around Malekith, keeping her distance from the still stunned Elf King. When she placed herself behind him, Zesshi ran back at him, going for a straight attack to his unprotected back.

Sensing her approach, Malekith swung wildly at his approaching daughter, who concentrated her aura on her feet so as to jump clean over him. Once more extending her aura, she managed a clean hit through his back and heart. A muffle gaps echoed through the area, dropping his daughter's weapon, Malekith fell on to his knees, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his free hand on his chest.

Zesshi retracted her aura, and went to pick up her scythe, just before she could do it Malekith's hand fell on it, the sudden motion surprising Zesshi. Another blast of electricity erupted from the King, forcing Zesshi to distance herself from him again.

"W-What a pain…" Malekith growled, staggering back to his feet and facing her

"H-How?" Zesshi gasped

To this Malekith pointed to the right side of his chest, before speaking.

"My heart's… on the right… side." he informed, between several coughs

"You should have kept that to yourself."

 **Re:Creators - Brave the Ocean**

Spitting the blood that filled his mouth, Malekith charged at his daughter with both weapons ready to attack. Closing the distance between them, he went for a vertical slash with the scythe, just to have Zesshi avoid it to his right, resulting in him ramming the blade into the ground. Avoiding her father's attack to the left, the half-elf noted he was still composing himself from the run, so his equilibrium would be affected, so taking a note from Alucard's move set, she Malekith's right leg from under him.

The Elf King went face first into the ground, seeing his right arm which still wielded the World Class Item, Zesshi acted in order to separate it from her father. Lifting her foot over his wrist, and concentrating her power on her leg, Zesshi brought it down on her opponent's arm. The floor cracked upon contact, with it went Malekith's wrist and his grip on the weapon, the elf also let out an agonized cry. Managing to roll on his back and on to his knees as soon as Zesshi's foot lifted from his wrist, Malekith was meet with a blade being pointed at his neck, Kusanagi was no longer his.

"Any last words, you bastard!?" Zesshi roared

Malekith wanted to speak but it was as if his voice had left him, as within him something took definite shape, something he had never felt before, or he would admit to feeling. He felt pride for his creation, he felt pride for the one that had brought him to his knees. It would seem that his effort did not go to waste, and the time he took to rape her mother, actually held some value. Thinking about it, it only made sense that she would be the one to do this to him, she was his daughter, his power was in her.

Soon the thoughts changed in his mind, she didn't defeat him with his power, she had taken whatever power he had given her and enhanced it with her own abilities, with her mother's abilities. He had laughed when the woman had said that he would one day regret his actions, how ironic things had turned out. Truly, if anyone was going to take him down, and occupy his placed at the top, it would be his descendants, it would be the best of his progeny, it would be Zesshi.

"Y-Y…" he mumbled, his voice beginning to come through

"Speak up!"

Zesshi looked upon her fallen foe, she wanted to hear him scream, cry for mercy, plead for his life, she wanted to see him suffer as she imagined her mother had suffered, such a thing was only fair. Yet, he said nothing, the bastard said nothing, reducing himself to such a pitiful look, and mocking half-smile on his face.

"Y-You… You will do great things."

A hysterical shout echoed through the air, as Zesshi beheaded Malekith with one swift motion, letting the weapon fall on to the floor, at the same her father's head did the same. Gritting her teeth, her eyes went to the head, which seemed to be looking back at her, and it unnerved her. This was Malekith, the tyrannical Elf King, the one who had rapped her mother, the one who was contempt with the idea of letting his people die, who seemed to want nothing but rise to the top. Then, why, why did he look so calm? Why was the head smiling weakly? Why did he look so contempt with the situation?

* * *

 **Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - To Be King**

As her mind tried to process this information, her grip on Kusanagi lifted and her aura vanished like flame drowned by the wind. As it vanished, all her injuries and fatigue came crashing down on her, the sudden impact was enough to drop her to all fours.

"N-Not like this…" she mumbled

Even with her body giving out on her, Zesshi felt someone behind her in the distance, putting her strength into her arm, she pushed herself on to her back. The presence she had felt was Nyx, who seemed to be busy picking up the things dropped by the defeated Deep Ones.

"W-What are you doing here?" Zesshi asked

"Alucard-sama, sent me to help. But not to help you, so I just watched." Nyx replied, her attention still on the items

"W-What about now?" the half-elf asked, her hand going to her bleeding stump

"Now, I can assist you. Do you need my assistance?" Nyx asked back, in a child like manner

"Y-Yes." Zesshi replied, holding back the urge to shout at the small vampire

"Then, we have to worry. Alucard-sama and the others are waiting for the World Class Item to defeat Orochi."

[Alucard?] Zesshi said

[How are you holding up?] Alucard replied, from the other side of the call

[I-I'm doing fine… Nyx is about to heal me. I should be able to finish this soon enough.]

[That's good. But don't push yourself too far, we still have much to do.] Alucard pointed out

[I know! I don't need you reminding me!] Zesshi growled back

[Did something happen?] Alucard asked, in a calm manner

[I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk to you in that one. It's just that… He smiled. Even after I beheaded him, he still smiled. Even now, his head smiles.]

[For now, let it go. Remember that we didn't come here just to take his place, and that the mission is not over, not yet. I need you focused. When this is over, come meet me, and we will speak about it. Is this acceptable?]

[Y-Yes.]

[Good. I'll be waiting.] with that the Message ended

 **Naruto Shippuden - Kouchaku**

Zesshi listened several sounds fill the background, they were the sounds of the battle with Orochi, wanting to distract herself from it, her attention went to Nyx, as the vampire healed her.

"Will it take long?" she asked

"Not too long. But the process can't be rushed, or it may be problematic." Nyx replied, in a disinterested manner

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing much. Alucard-sama flew into one of Orochi's mouths, to blow up one of his necks."

"What!?" Zesshi gasped, moving with the shock

"Don't move. It will only take more time if you act like that."

"T-That idiot. What was he thinking…" the half-elf mumbled, doing as she was told

"Alucard-sama said that it was our best chance hurt Orochi."

Nyx stopped talking, continuing with her work, and almost immediately Zesshi felt the muscles in her healing arm tighten and an immense pain go through it, then Nyx continued to speak.

"W-What's happening!?" Zesshi cried out, shortly after the pain lifted

"My apologies, but I think the battle is starting to take a toll on my skills. Just bear with it, I will be done shortly."

A few minutes later, Nyx was done, getting back to her feet Zesshi stretched out her newly formed arm, and the parts of her body that used to be covered in bruises. She didn't want to say she was surprised, but Nyz had done an amazing job healing her, no wonder Alucard liked to have her around, it was a very useful skill when potions weren't available.

"Now, what do I have to do?" Zesshi asked, picking up Kusanagi

* * *

 **Bleach – Treachery**

Alucard couldn't say that the damage he had caused Orochi had made things any better. Indeed, the creature could no longer use his beams, or move properly, however Orochi had changed its method of attack. Alucard, assumed that this was what happened in games when the boss's health went down to a certain level.

The enemy no longer had it's heads up high, they were now lowered and better distributed to cover almost all possible directions, and the missing head. He was now limiting himself to bites, or his shout-based attacks, which he now was using more frequently, but they were less powerful, and from time to time he used his tails to destroy whoever tried to reach him from behind.

Alucard had tried to use Kaia's abilities to slowly weaken the beast, however when she or anyone tried to approach, they were blown away by Orochi's roars. That was what happened to Kaia, as she tried to approach she was blown away, being sent flying into some of the still standing buildings, which promptly collapsed on her.

Touka so far was the only one that had managed to get close to Orochi, given her speed, however the crystals that she had with her did no damaged to the creature. Lottus and Mathius tried to provide some long range fire with their spells, but of course that had no effect. Thelsea took it upon herself to go and help Kaia, with Clementine and Brain being instructed to aid her.

The situation didn't look good, having used their strongest attack and with Kaia momentarily incapacitated, Alucard feared that they had now been truly backed into a corner. Then it happened, clouds began to form on top of the Citadel, it could be many things, but knowing that Kusanagi was in Zesshi's possession, he assumed that was the cause.

* * *

 **Motörhead - King of Kings**

The clouds got larger over the tower, to the point some lightning could be seen within them, this was enough tell Alucard it was time to fall back.

"Everyone fall back! Get away from the cloud!"

[Everyone fall back! Get away from the cloud!]

Having given his orders he now could only hope they managed to get to a safe distance in time. The attack he feared, was the blades ultimate attack Orochi's Wrath, the name was rather ironic, it created a large cloud from which a single, yet massive and incredibly destructive, bolt of lightning would come forth. Such attack, even if simple sounding, should be more then enough to kill a lvl 100, however Alucard was unsure if the same applied for Orochi.

Seeing Lottus, Mathius, Touka and Talia get out from under the cloud, his attention went to Thelsea, Clementine and Brain, who were still trying to get Kaia from under the debris. Using his superior speed, he quickly closed the distance between himself and them.

"Everyone get clear of the cloud. I'll handle this." he announced, pushing Clementine and Brain aside

"As you wish~" Clementine said, sounding more then happy to get clear of the area

"I'm not going without her!" Thelsea growled

"I wasn't planning on it." Alucard remarked

Using his strength Alucard managed to pull the debris away freeing Kaia, followed by opening a [Gate] which they used to escape to a safe distance.

Small bolts of lightning began to fall around and on Orochi, the beast could only look upwards letting out annoyed growls and hisses, as the bolts began to focus more and more and its wound, as if someone was using them to focus on a target.

Suddenly, and violently, the sound of what seemed to be a massive explosion filled the air, the sound was loud enough to momentarily stun all of the group. The great bolt had fallen from the clouds, it sliced clean through the air, hitting Orochi's wound without any resistance, momentarily lighting up that section of the creatures body before detonation.

Orochi's roar echoed through the city, as that part of his body, including the leg and 3 of his heads, were violently blown apart from his body, in a gory display, completed with flesh based fire works. The beast fell on his side, his tails and necks squirming and contracting in agony, no blood came from the massive wound, as it was cauterized by the blast.

Alucard let out a small sigh of relief, there was finally some progress, however the creature was not dead, not even one blast from Kusanagi's strongest attack was enough to kill it. However, one blast was all they had, this much he knew as the clouds began to part signaling the end of the attack.

Or so he thought, as the clouds stopped and began to be dragged back together, such a thing he knew was possible but came at a cost. Said cost were Kusanagi's powers, using Wrath of Orochi more then once would reduce the blade to simple, yet resilient, weapon.

The cloud formed once more, again several small bolts began to fall on the fallen Orochi, focusing on the center of the remaining heads, this time the blow would certainly kill him. The same deafening sound filled the air, as a devastating bolt fell from the skies, striking down Orochi's remaining heads, this time apparently incinerating them.

The pillar like legs that still held the half-collapsed body at an angle, gave out causing it to collapse, and after what seemed to be an eternity, the still moving tails and necks stopped, and finally the body disintegrated into several crimson particles, before vanishing all together.

"And that's it. First half of the mission concluded." Alucard announced in a low tone, putting an end to the music


	70. Heroes

Alucard took in a deep breath, taking in the smell of death and destruction that surrounded him, he followed this with a long sigh. Slowly he stretched his over taxed limbs, before looking around at his approaching comrades.

"Good work, everyone." he said, letting his body take a seat on a nearby rock

"Thank you." the group replied, with the exception of Mathius, Thelsea and Kaia

"Thank you." Kaia added, after seeing the others say the same

"The operation seemed to have gone in a less then optimal way. What will we do now, Alucard?" Mathius asked, approaching the vampire

"We wait for Zesshi and Nyx to come here. Till then, everyone take a break. Touka, go and get Azrael, we still have to deal with her."

"As you wish."

Opening a [Gate] Touka left, before it closed behind her. Shortly after another portal opened not too far from them, from within it came Zesshi and Nyx, the half-elf carried her scythe over her right shoulder, while on her left were Kusanagi and her father's head.

Getting back to his feet Alucard approached the incoming duo, Zesshi was biting down on her lip, something was still bothering her. The vampire assumed this was related to what she had told him, looking down at the head that hung from her hand, he could see the slight smile.

"Good work, both of you." he said

"Thank you, Alucard-sama." Nyx remarked, Zesshi said nothing

Taking several long and fast steps towards the half-elf, Alucard wrapped his arms around her, the shock of the sudden embrace causing her to drop everything she was carrying. It didn't surprise him when Zesshi tried to push him away, even if her efforts were visibly lacking.

"You did great." he whispered down on her

"W-Why… that bastard…" she mumbled, stopping her struggle

"What did he say?" Alucard asked

Zesshi's eyes widened at the sound of those words, how did he know that Malekith had said anything before his death? Her head uneasily looked up to meet her lovers gaze, his face was decorated with a warm, carrying expression, with a smile. The idiot, how could he be so calm during all of this, she was doing her very best just to not shout her frustrations and anger at the world. Yet, he was perfectly composed, seemingly the complete opposite from her, it almost made her feel guilty for letting Malekith's final moments get to her.

"Idiot…" she said

"I doubt that's what he said, my little Tsundere."

"H-He said, that I-I would do g-great things."

Zesshi kept looking up at Alucard as she spoke, and could see a hint of genuine surprise in his reaction to what she told him. However, this was very brief and after his gaze went to the fallen head, a conclusion seemed to form in his mind, after which he looked down at her once again.

"I see… How curious…" Alucard said, in a tone as if he was speaking to himself

"What? Tell me!" Zesshi growled out, struggling once more in his grip

"I believe. That he was not trying to put you in this state with those words or his expression. Zesshi, I believe that you managed to bring forth, in the tyrant that was Malekith, the feeling of genuine pride."

Her eyes widened, unable to understand the concept of the former Elf King feeling anything towards anyone that was not himself, it was impossible for such a monster to do something like that.

"T-That's not funny." she remarked, in a low tone

"Good. Because I'm not joking."

"Pride?... I don't need his pride."

* * *

A [Gate] opened behind them, Touka was the first to walk out, then staggering behind her was Azrael, the parts of her body where the daggers rested had turned grey and brittle. Zesshi's eyes fell on the remaining Elite, and she felt a surge of anger go through her, she wondered why such a thing was still alive.

Pushing herself away from Alucard, his hold on her having grown weaker, the half-elf picked up the fallen Kusanagi, her murderous gaze fell on the weakened Elite, as she walked pass Alucard ready to kill. Much to her surprise, Touka placed herself between her and the angel, with the clear intention to prevent her from finishing off the enemy.

"Stand aside, Touka. I'm putting an end to all of this." Zesshi growled

"There is no need to kill her." the Bride argued

"W-What? How can you say such a thing!? She is one of the Elite, one of our enemies, who knows what things she has done for Malekith!"

"I wouldn't know anything about that. But I do know what she has done against him. That alone shows that she is not like the rest."

"Zesshi…" Alucard began, but the half-elf spoke over him

"And what has she done, to deserve any pity?"

"She…" Touka went to speak, but Azrael interrupted her

"P-Please, allow me to d-defend myself…" the Elite said, the pain brought about by her wounds audible in her voice

"I'm listening." Zesshi growled

"Indeed, I have done many things that are unforgivable when he asked me to do so. However, I-I have done my very best, to do as much good as possible, in order to outweigh my sins. Those that were no longer seen as useful, women that were pregnant and as such no longer fit to fight, even those seen as cowards for leaving the war, I saved them the best I could. Some I brought down to my chambers, there they could receive a decent life while under the cover of servants. For those I could not help directly, I indirectly gave information to the Sky Walkers, so that they could take them somewhere safe."

Alzrael paused, looking up at Zesshi's face, whose eyes more then ever resembled her former Master's, she saw a still unmoved resolve, or perhaps a resolve who had been moved very little.

"I-I also… I also, leaked information to the Theocracy." she informed, earing her a general surprised look

"He had kidnapped a woman, and was doing t-terrible, unholy, things to her, I had to do something… So, I leaked enough information, to make her rescue possible." Azrael added

"Then you mean, that y-you were the one that, gave the information to save my mother?" Zesshi asked

The angel simply nodded, before lowering her head waiting for the killing blow, as much as it pained her to know that death would take her away from those she helped, and those she could still help. Part of herself, saw death as too good for such a traitorous being like herself, after all a servant should never go against her master's wishes and intentions.

"Zesshi, I say that there is no reason to kill her." Alucard said, placing a hand on the half-elf's shoulder

"No. There isn't. I-I apologize for my behavior." Zesshi mumbled

"T-Thank you, m-my Lady. You are far too kind, towards someone like me." the angel said

Letting out a sigh, Zesshi turned around and began to walk away towards the rest of the things she had dropped. Before walking pass Alucard, she gave him the World Class Item.

"It isn't working."

"That's because you used its ultimate attack 2 times in a row. It should be back to normal in a month."

Suddenly, Alucard felt strange, it was as if a weight, that was unseen, and he didn't even know was on him, was lifted. There was a certain renewed clarity to his mind, the effect of something had been removed, and he had no idea what it was. His eyes grew wide, when his eyes fell on the blade, a large smile formed on his face, in his mind everything became clear. By wielding Kusanagi, he had just lifted the hold Downfall of Castle and Country, and by extension Ainz, had on him.

"Alucard-sama, would you wish to put away Hand of Transcendency?" Lottus asked, presenting Alucard with the item

"Yes."

Taking the item from the Lich, Alucard opened his inventory, placing inside both the guild weapon and the World Class Item.

"Alucard-sama, I've found something when I went to help Zesshi." Nyx announced, approaching him

"Do tell." Alucard remarked

"The Elf King must have summoned some enemies for Zesshi to fight. I picked up what they left behind, some jewels and spears. But I think these would be better kept in Otō-san's hands."

The Bride materialized in her hands two books, whose features at the time had been ignored by Zesshi given the situation. They were both bound in leather, whose origins seemed to be some kind of scale covered skin, taking both equal books from Nyx's hands, Alucard had only to open one of them to know what they were. They were in fact the forbidden Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, as depicted in the stories by HP Lovecraft, and brought to life inside YGGDRASIL, in the form of several versions depending on where it was found, by the look of this one it could have come from the sea, perhaps from a Deep One Priest.

Looking quickly through the book, Alucard concluded that much like other books from the game, this too had been filled with content that was not available before the transfer. He knew some of the things the book could be used for while in the game, so he really didn't want to risk letting anyone read it as it was now.

"A good decision, Nyx." he said, before placing the books into his inventory

"Now, go heal Azrael. Tell, Touka she is dismissed from looking over her."

* * *

Brain groaned under the several pains that affected his spent body, he would use a potion to better his condition, however he was out of supplies. His tiered eyes went to Clementine, who was in the process of healing herself, honestly, he doubted she still had any for him to use. He then went to look at Lottus, but between himself and the Lich was Touka.

"So, you made it." she pointed out

"T-Thanks." Brain said, unsure of how to interpret her words

"Your welcome. So, what seems to be the problem?" the vampire asked, approaching him

"I'm just 1 healing potion short." he chuckled

"Like this?" Touka asked, materializing a potion in her right hand

"Y-Yeah."

Reaching out towards him, Touka motioned for him to take the potion, staggering back to his feet, he went to grab it, just for the vampire to pull it away from him.

"You've got to do better then that." she remarked, with a mocking smile

"Come on. Give me a break, I'm exhausted."

"What if you still had to fight, and had no potions to use?"

"Well… In that case…"

Mustering up some of his remaining strength, Brain used the fact Touka had let her guard down to close the small distance between them, and plant a kiss on her lips. Shocked by the human's sudden action, Touka's grip on the bottle loosened up enough for Brain to take it, and take a large step back.

"In that case, I would just have to play dirty." he said, taking the potion

As he gulped down the potion, Brain kept an eye on the still emotionless, red faced Touka, who had her hands over her lips. Slowly she began to lower her hands, which were now curling into fists, and her stunned expression now seemed to be turning into one of anger.

"T-That w-was just a…"

Brain didn't have time to speak, using her incredible speed, Touka closed the distance between them and with a simple push sent him into the ground.

"S-Stop that!" she growled

"I-I just… couldn't help myself." Brain said, with an innocent chuckle

Touka's face reddened once more, she went to say something, but stopped herself halfway, before turning around.

"Damn human." she mumbled, as she left

* * *

"We've got company~!" Clementine announced, getting the groups attention

All of the team joined Clementine to see what this company was, before them was a large crowd of elves, being lead by Sarya and 3 others in expensive looking clothing. Alucard and his team decided to advance towards them, with Zesshi taking the lead, when the groups meet halfway, Sarya was the first to speak.

"These are the three remaining members of the Council. Darfin Thevalur, Zeno Miraceran and Rathal Phirieth."

"I am Zesshi Zetsumei. Daughter of Malekith, and the one who defeated him."

"We know who you are. Sarya told us, along with what you intend to achieve with this defeat." Darfin informed

"Achieve!? What has anyone achieved today!? What happened here is nothing but a simple and barbaric act of conquest." Zeno growled

"You…" Zesshi growled, when Alucard stopped her

"We understand how what we did may be perceived. However, it does not change the fact that what happened here was, ultimately, unavoidable." the Supreme Being said

"Then, you believe that, those words are enough to justify the destruction and death that happened here today?" Rathal

"We do not hope to justify what happened here today. But, what Alucard said is the truth. Had this not happened, everything would have been fine, till the Theocracy shows up." Zesshi growled

"What can the Theocracy do against the power that was displayed here today!? They would have been able to do nothing against our King, and his forces." Zeno pointed out

"Stop, being blind to what's right in front of you! Malekith, never cared about any of you! Why do you think he unleashed all of this destruction upon you!? Our original plan had never involved any of this, we would have been more then happy to have limited the damage of our battle. And you are right, the Theocracy wouldn't have stood a chance once Malekith decided to do something about them, however do you think any of you would have been saved!?" Zesshi roared, so everyone would hear

"I-Indeed, our King's priorities lied elsewhere." Darfin mumbled, to himself

"You were all pawns in his hand, surely that much has become obvious to all of you. Men were nothing but meat shields, and women means to spread his progeny. He would have saved none of you, when the time came to show his power to the world and continue to pursue his goals." Zesshi continued

"However, we are here to stay. We took down the tyrant you had for a king, and his minions, but we won't stop there. Next, we are going to put an end to the war with the Theocracy!" the half-elf announced

Several mumbles and gasps went through the crowd, the 3 members of the Council also shared several comments between each other.

"And how do you plan to achieve this?" Darfin asked

"I am originally from the Theocracy, I know how to get them to stop." Zesshi replied

"I see." Darfin remarked, still visibly troubled by the situation

"Then, w-were actually going to allow this? To let them take over?" Zeno hissed

"She is a descendent of the King, so there is no issue there. And let's be honest, they don't seem to be the same type of people Malekith was." Darfin replied, with a tiered tone

"We don't know enough about them to conclude that." Rathal pointed out

"We don't? Have both of you ignored what we heard while in hiding with the rest of the population? They were praising them as heroes, they cared little for the destruction or what caused it, but were focused on those saving their lives." Darfin said

"And they will think the same about those who end the war." Rathal added

"The people!? Are we going to leave this decision to them?" Zeno growled

"You fear losing your power, Zeno. And that fear is clouding your judgment, of what is truly best for us." Darfin said, to which Zeno simply grunted

Darfin turned around to face the elves that were watching on as the future of their nation was quickly being discussed, clearing his throat, he spoke.

"My fellow elves, before you stand the people who brought this catastrophic down on our city!" he announced, taking a step aside so Alucard and his group were visible for all to see

"These are the same men and women, who brought about such events not because they wished to conquer, not even because they wanted power. But, because they wished to free us from the hold our King had on our land, and now to free us from the war that as for so long plagued us!" his hand motioned towards Zesshi

"This, is Zesshi Zetsumei. As you can see, she is of royal descent and the one that personally defeated the King. She now humbly stands before you, wanting your approval, I as the representative of the Council ask you this. Do we accept her as our new ruler? We all remember the centuries that have been spent under Malekith's rule, but said rule is over, we now are given the choice." Darfin paused, letting the word sink in

"We are given the choice, to decide if she will be the next one to sit on the throne."

For a moment there was silence, then slowly a cheer began to come from the crowd, soon enough the whole group was shouting their approval. Others were simply praising members of the group, or them as a whole, while others were pouring out their feelings for the people who saved their lives.

"The people have spoken." Rathal said

"Indeed." Zeno said

"Very well. The people have spoken, Queen Zesshi. We can continue this, after you put an end to the war, as you said you would do." Darfin said, turning to look at Zesshi

"I wasn't planning on having it any other way." Zesshi remarked

"How, will we do this?" Alucard asked

"I want to drop down right in the middle of their main camp, and put an end to it right there and then." Zesshi growled

"A-Are you sure that is a safe way to go about it?"

"Yes, they would never mobilize anything that could be troublesome to us, for this war."

"Very well. Touka, go and place this item, in the center of the camp, it will take 1 minute for it to activate. Warn me when its done, and be careful." Alucard instructed

"As you wish."

Taking the [Gate] creating item from Alucard's hand, Touka vanished.


	71. Ending a War

Passing a hand through his hair, Alucard could only wait for Touka to give them the signal. He guessed that this would be a good opportunity to inform Ainz about their current sitation.

[Ainz, you there?]

[Alucard-san! I was beginning to worry, you haven't said anything for so long.] Ainz replied, from the other side of the [Message]

[I've just been too focused on the mission.] Alucard chuckled back

[Is it safe to assume that you succeeded in taking over Elf Country?]

[Believe me, I wouldn't be calling if I hadn't.]

[I guess so. Then, I take it that it must have been a simple thing to do.]

[I can't say it was. First I had to acquire the information I needed, for that I had to make a deal with Hilma…] Alucard began, when Ainz spoke over him

[Yes, that was brought to my attention. However, I did never get around to find out what you gave in order to pay for the information.] the Overlord pointed out

[It wasn't anything too major. But that's just the beginning, everything after that went well. That is until we got close to our destination, and got mixed up in the elves business, when we came across some elves who were running from the King's Elite. Eventually we had to deal with them, they were relatively weak, so outside of some illusion based trickery, we dealt with the smoothly.] Alucard continued

[Unfortunately, it didn't spot there. Shortly after Brain went missing, and when we went to look for him, you won't believe what we came across.] the vampire said, with a chuckle

[The Mines of Tartarus. The guild base of The Horde.] Alucard explained

[What? What did you find there?] Ainz asked, his interest peaked

[A lot of battle damage. And 4 inhabitants, not counting an undead army that had been amassed over the years.]

[Battle damage? What happened there?]

[Well, that's when things got really complicated. Even if the guild was rather weak, they had 1 level 100 NPC, an elf summoner, Malekith. Which turned out to be the Elf King we were planning to topple, however that was just the beginning. When Malekith left the base, he took with him the WCI Kusanagi, and the guild weapon, the Hand of Transcendence, which allows one to go beyond a level 100.]

[Beyond a level 100? Y-You cannot be serious?] Ainz almost gasped, momentarily losing control of his emotions

[Exactly what I thought. But that wasn't the only bad news. We also learned who the 4 remaining Elite were. A Sovereign Insect, the vampire boss Ishmael, the angel boss Azrael, and the boss Set.]

[Why didn't you say anything!? I could have gotten you some assistance.] Ainz argued back, once more losing control

[Given the situation that brought all of this into being, I decided that this was something we should do by ourselves. And, with the help of those we found in the Mines, believe it or not we were winning.] Alucard calmly informed

[That was till Malekith decided to be a sore loser. And made it a point to show us how powerful he really was, by summoning Yamata no Orochi.]

[I-Impossible.] the Overlord mumbled

[Needless to say, it was too much for us to handle efficiently. We threw pretty much everything we had at him, and in the end with did little overall damage. If it wasn't for Kusanagi we would have been in real trouble…] Alucard went silent for a moment

[But that's one of the main reason's I called, much was lost during the battle. And I believe we lack the ability to rebuild all of this by ourselves. So, I was wondering if we could get some assistance?] the vampire asked

[Of course, Alucard-san. Just tell me what you need, and I'll make sure to make it happen.] Ainz replied

[Thanks. But we've yet to fully analyze the damage. So I'll have to talk to you about that later.]

[Very well. Is there anything you need at the moment?]

[No. But I appreciate the sentiment.]

[Keep safe out there, Alucard-san.]

[Likewise.] with that the [Message] ended

"What were you doing?" Zesshi asked, approaching Alucard, along with Talia

"Talking to Ainz." the vampire replied

"What did he say?" the half-elf asked

"Outside of being understandable shocked by what we went through. He said, that he would be available to help with whatever we needed."

"That's good. But, I don't want him taking our spotlight, this will be our kingdom after all."

"My thoughts exactly. Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing much. I suggested they should be ready to send a fallback order to their army." Zesshi replied

"And there have already been talks about organizing groups, to search for any missing survivors." Talia added

"Zesshi, I take it that it will be the two of us going to the camp?"

"Yes."

"Then, Talia I'll put you in charge of the rest of our team. Make sure they understand, that now we have to help the elves with whatever they need."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." Talia replied, with a bow

[Alucard-sama, the device is planted.] Touka informed

[Return to the capital.]

"The item is ready."

"Then, let's get ready to do this. I want some decent music for this one." Zesshi said

"Was the music so far, not decent?" the vampire asked

"It was, for the most part."

Materializing his music box, Alucard began to search through the music he had stored on it, he wanted to at least find one that would fit in the given situation. It seemed to take him a while, to find one that he liked, but eventually he came across one he thought would be among the better choices.

 **WWE - Glorious Domination**

"How's that?"

"Not bad." Zesshi replied, with a teasing smile

Shortly after the portal opened before them, Alucard looked down at Zesshi, her scythe rested over her right shoulder, and in her left hand rested Malekith's head. She seemed to be preparing herself for what was coming, even after all the resolve she had showed. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Alucard gave her a warming and carrying smile, telling her that he would be by her side.

"Let's go."

"I'll be right behind you." Alucard remarked, placing his hood on, as they vanished through the portal

* * *

Hanno Rufrius, second in command of the Holocaust Scripture and currently the acting commander of the Slane Theocracy's forces, was faced with the most unusual and unexpected of guests. It was not his immediate superior, but someone of much higher rank, the Captain of the Black Scripture himself, they were talking in one of the many buildings created in their main camp.

"I-I fail to understand, why the Black Scripture is being considered to be used in this war. I don't mean to sound insulting, but we of the Holocaust Scripture are more then able to take care of a few elves." Hanno said

"There is no need to try and save face Commander, not after those sounds that had the camp up in arms just a few moments ago." the Captain remarked, to which Hanno gave a nervous laugh

"And, as I said before. We have been hit by some rather… turbulent times. That is why our involvement is being considered, after all there are still some unknowns when it comes to this war. Be it the Elf King, or whatever treasures their capital may wield, the Theocracy's current attention as been drawn towards them." he added

"I guess we will have to share the spotlight when this is over…"

Hanno was interrupted when the sound of a commotion in the camp, and strange music, began to fill the air, he was about to ask one of his men to go and check out what was going on, when another soldier burst through the door.

"We have two intruders, sir. They entered the perimeter through a portal, they are currently surrounded."

"What!?" Hanno growled, getting up from his seat

"The portal just seemed to open, it even went pass our magic defenses."

"Damn it! You said you had them surrounded, then bring them here." Hanno instructed

"I-I'm sorry, sir. But I don't think we can do that, I believe the only reason they are surrounded is because they allowed it."

"Show them to me." the Captain ordered

"Are you certain?" Hanno asked

"Yes. Now lead the way."

Picking up his weapon the Captain made his way after the soldier, whit Hanno quickly following after them. As they were approaching the crowd of soldiers that surrounded the still opened portal, the Captain froze in place, and gulped unbelieving of what he saw.

Standing in front of the portal was the same being that had so easily made him and his Scripture look bad, killing 5 of his men, Kaire and lead to them losing one of the Theocracy's treasures. He couldn't see who the other person was, but what he did saw was enough to unnerve him, it was the weapon once wielded by Zesshi. Could it be that other female undead, now using that weapon as her own?

"A-Are you ok, Captain?" Hanno asked

"Y-Yes." the man replied, with a shaken tone

Stopping their advance when they were close to the crowd, the Captian simply motioned them to part so he could see who the intruders were. Upon his unspoken command, the soldiers obeyed, revealing to him the two intruders.

He went pale, standing next to the being who had brought disgrace upon the Black Scripture, wasn't the female undead. Instead was the owner of the scythe herself, Zesshi, who honestly was thought to have been killed by the being standing next to her. His eyes then went down to her left hand, where the severed head of the Elf King rested, he couldn't believe it. Was this also related to the sounds they had heard coming from the capital?

"That's enough of the music." Zesshi pointed out

The undead gave her a simple nod, before using a music box to end the sound that currently filled the air, before putting it away through a smaller portal.

"Captain." she greeted, with a small nod

"Extra Seat." he mumbled back

"Do you know her, Captain?" Hanno asked

"Yes. This is the Extra Seat of the Black Scripture, Zesshi Zetsumei." the Captain informed, surprising all of those that heard him

"The seat is still mine? I'm surprised, someone hasn't taken it yet." the half-elf remarked

"There really isn't anyone else capable enough, to do so. And given the circumstances of your disappearance, replacing you was the last of our concerns. Especially when, we were under the impression you were killed."

"Killed? By who?" Zesshi asked, with a surprised look

The Captain's eyes momentarily went to the figure next to her, before returning to the half-elf, Zesshi simply rose an eyebrow at him, before starting to laugh.

"I see. Well, it isn't like we didn't try to kill each other in the beginning. But we've long gotten pass that. We're actually lovers now, but that's not why we came here." she informed

"L-Lovers?... Then, does that mean you betrayed us?"

"Yes. He gave me something more to do with my life, outside of being a guardian or a secret weapon. Speaking of which, you are welcome."

Zesshi followed this, by throwing her father's head, having it land at the Captain's feet, Hanno who was standing behind the Captain walked up to his side, stunned by what he saw on the floor.

"T-This is…"

"The Elf King's head." Zesshi added

"Now, we can move on to why we are here. I take it that you heard the sounds that came from the capital?"

"We did."

"Those were the sounds of a beast and a battle that would have decimated the Theocracy's army. And if left alive, the creature would have easily destroyed anything in its path, since its power was enough to decimate half of the elf capital with one attack. However, it was a beast that we, and when I say we I mean the two of us and the rest of our team, took down. We were face by the power of the Elf King, a power that went beyond even the man that stands next to me, and his Elite. A group, that from what I know had the Theocracy had no information on, and could have also delivered a major blow if the Elf King wished it." Zesshi informed those present, pausing so the information would be absorved

"Now, those threats are gone, because we dealt with them. As you can imagine, such a battle left the capital in ruin and severely weakened the elves, an attack now might lead to their downfall."

"Then, why are you telling us this? You are basically challenging us to attack!" Hanno growled

"Exactly. Today I come before you, not as the Extra Seat, but as the future Queen of the elves. The man to my side, is named Alucard, he is the future King. And I want to tell the Theocracy that there no longer is a reason for this war to continue, because as you can see, the reason for that war is dead."

"Future queen? That's meaningless. We…" Hanno began to growl back, when the Captain raised his hand to silence him

"What will happen if we refuse to backdown?"

"We took out forces that would have destroyed the Theocracy if left uncheck. If we did that to them, what do you think we will do to you, if you continue to threaten my people!?"

Zesshi had changed, that much had become clear when the Captain first noticed her exposed ears, and now she was referring to elves as one of her own. She told the truth, that much he was certain off, Zesshi wasn't one to lie something that hadn't changed even after her time away. He was also worried about who the people that helped her were, he had an idea of what this Alucard, her unexpected lover, was capable of. Yet, he had no idea who these other individuals were, not that it mattered in front of the facts she presented him with. The Theocracy was already shaken up by her having gone missing, and with her, her special gear, which he noted most of it was missing. They could not risk angering this unknown and devastating force, not at a point like this.

"Very well. We will fall back." the Captain announced

"Y-You can't do that! I still have authority over his army." Hannor pointed out

"Then, think about what she just told us. I can tell you this much, she isn't lying. Do you want to risk having Zesshi and her men turn their attention to us?"

"N-No. I guess I d-don't."

"A wise decision, Commander."

"Exactly, Captain. I'm glad we could come to this point so quickly. That just leaves a few other matters." Zesshi said

"What else do you want?" Hannor asked

"Everything you took from the elves, be it territory, individuals or possessions, I want those back."

"That is too much! We can't just go and give you everything you want, just like that." Hannor pointed out

"I never said that. Deals will have to be made, to ensure that this entire process goes accordingly. That both sides get what they want, and most importantly, something like this never happens again."

"You understand that it will take some time, for negotiations to take place? Your conditions cannot be meet immediately." the Captain said

"Just make sure that when the time comes, everything is returned. We will also return everything that was taken from your side of the war."

"Very well, Zesshi. You have my word that the Theocracy will work towards the best possible solution for this conflict."

"Likewise, Captain."

Giving her former superior one final nod, Zesshi vanished through the portal, Alucard following her, after picking up the [Gate] creating item.

* * *

Returning to the Capital, they were faced by the remaining members of the Council, Talia and Mathius.

"H-How did it go?" Darfin asked, visibly nervous

"Their army will be falling back soon enough. When the time comes both parts will make the necessary contracts to make sure both sides have what they got taken away returned." Zesshi replied

"I-I can't believe it." Darfin gasped, tears visibly forming in his eyes

"I don't think I would ever see this day." Zeno mumbled

"F-Finally…" Rathal sighed in relief

"T-Thank you. I-I did my best." Zesshi chuckled, visibly overwhelmed by their honesty

"Should we make your roles official, right now?" Darfin asked, catching Zesshi and Alucard off guard

"N-No! I mean it's not that important, right now. Let's make sure we find all of the survivals first." the half-elf suggested

"Of course. As you wish." Darfin remarked, taking a small bow

"Zesshi, I'll leave that to you. I have something to take care off with Mathius." Alucard informed, walking towards the Overlord

"Your not going to help?" Zesshi asked

"I will. But, I want to get a better idea of what we have available to us. I'm just going to take a quick look, it won't take long."

"Fine. Just don't take too long."

Alucard and Mathius went down to the guild base's treasury, since the vampire wanted to get an overall feel for what they had at their disposal to use in the rebuilding effort.

"You have to get back to creating more undead." Alucard said, as the doors to the treasury opened

"Anything else, my King?" the Overlord asked back

"What do you know about the items stored here?"

"Not much. I rarely came in here. Most of the things I appropriated were from other places within this place."

Alucard simply nodded, taking a moment to look at his surroundings, it didn't compare to Nazarick in the slightest which really didn't surprise him, given what he knew about the guild it belonged to.

Making his way through the chamber, he eventually came across something that honestly left him baffled. It was a large glass pane, it was on top of a simple looking metal base, on the glass was a small panel with information on what was inside. The contents were a massive heart, which slowly beat, signaling that whatever it was, was in fact still alive. This left Alucard at a lost for words because he had a small idea of what it was, and after looking at the panel to confirm his suspicions, he could only wonder how a guild like this got their hands on it.

"Take note. Never let this thing anywhere near a large power source." Alucard said

"Why?" Mathius asked, reading the panel

"Because if that thing will make Orochi look like child's play." the vampire replied, walking away

"Godzilla Heart? Such a strange name." the Overlord mumbled to himself, before following Alucard

Alucard continued to make his way through the treasury, when he came across something else that threw him for a loop. It was a out of place pile of dirt, with a wooden stick where on top rested the panel with information, in the center of the pile was a mummified corpse, who showed hints of a nonhuman nature. Reading the panel, once again, his suspicions were correct, making him wonder how this guild had gotten their hands on such things.

"This one too. Keep it away from any source of life or unlife, just to be sure."

"Another one?" Mathius asked, his attention going to the display's information

"Yes. I really wasn't expecting such troublesome things."

"P-Pumpkinhead?" the Overlord remarked

"Leave it be. The last thing I need, is to have to deal with that thing on the loose. Come on, let's continue."


	72. Correcting a Mistake

Zesshi was talking with the remaining members of the Council, when Alucard returned, Mathius wasn't with him. She could only wonder what had made him take so long to go back to the Mines and return, given the fact she was yet to fully acquainted with her new role, his support was necessary, even if she would never say it out loud.

"Where's Mathius?" she asked

"He stayed behind, working on rebuilding our forces."

"Good. We sent some of the remaining military officials that were still in the capital, and Sarya, to go and inform the main elven military forces of what is happening. And, I was just finishing explaining to them why the Theocracy won't be coming back." Zesshi informed

"If you don't mind us, we must leave. There are some of the reaming members of the higher echelons of our society which we need to speak to, in order to get all of our remaining resources properly counted." Darfin pointed out

"Very well. Call upon us if something is needed." the half-elf said, before the 3 elves took a bow and left

As Zesshi let out a small sigh, her body tensed momentarily when Alucard's hand fell on her left shoulder as he took her side, watching them walk away.

"I see that you are doing great out here." he remarked

"… W-Where were you!? I thought that you, as my King, would be helping me do this." Zesshi hissed back, flustered

"My bad. I was, like I said before, seeing what the Mines had for us to use in rebuilding this capital."

"How bad is it?" she asked

"Let's just say, we would be needing assistance even if we didn't want it. After all, they were a relatively small guild, e-even if they do have their Treasury full of possible headaches." Alucard remarked, earning him a raised eyebrow

"Somehow, they've got their hands on several summoning items. Items which must never come into contact with anyone, or we may end up with an even worse situation then this one." the vampire informed, with a grave tone

"Why not destroy them then?"

"Some I doubt it would be easy to destroy, and they could prove useful in the future."

"Does Mathius have everything he needs to rebuild our forces?" Zesshi asked, with a worried tone

"He says he has enough samples to do so. Even if he doesn't, they aren't hard to get." Alucard replied, with a confident expression

"S-So…"

Zesshi began, pausing before finishing her sentence, something visibly bothered by whatever she was about to say. However, it only took her a moment to look at Alucard's calm expression, to make her feel dumb and idiotic for even be thinking of how to word that worry that was now filling her heart.

"A-Aren't you going to ask me, about what happened in the Theocracy's camp? Aren't you going to ask me how I'm so confident how they won't continue the war?" she asked

Alucard raised an eyebrow at her, before arching his back slightly backwards, and letting out a long and tiered sigh, which degenerated into a laugh, with his hand falling on her shoulder once more.

"I'm confident, that given your greater knowledge on their workings, you are certain of what you were doing." Alucard explained, giving her a reassuring kiss on the forehead

"I-I see. W-Well…" Zesshi began to ramble on, before he spoke over her

"So, what do you need me to do?"

* * *

Ainz rested in his throne, the Hall was packed with every NPC he could call upon without affecting too much the current state of things. Even those that were present were listening in via [Message], after all this was a matter of great importance, and none of them were to be left out.

The order to gather had been sudden and unexpected, so much so some even considered if there was some kind of dire situation going on, that made it necessary to call upon all of Nazarick. However, these worries were quickly extinguished by their fate in their supreme leader, and the call the Overlord transmitted through his presence alone, indeed Ainz was the unwavering leader they deserved.

When all had assembled before the ruler of the tomb, absolute silence fell, no motion or command was needed for this, it was just the natural stance one should take before the Supreme One.

Ainz made a simple hand gesture, one to gain his servants unquestionable attention, all heads raised from their kneeling stances, all eyes fell on him, as his jaw lowered to speak.

"Inhabitants of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, I come here today to speak of our newest triumph, since arriving in this world." the Overlord spoke, redoubling the attention of the NPCs

None knew what this meant, of course they weren't at the level to possibly understand their master's plans or intentions, yet they had heard nothing about a great plot that would warrant such ceremony.

"As you all know, Alucard left us after the incident in the 2nd floor. As he left he promised me, us, one thing, Elf Country." Ainz continued, once more falling into silence, as he leaned forwards in his seat

Ainz's extended hand closed, his fist clenching before the next, obvious, words came from his mouth, the gesture a symbol of the unspoken message. Just before he spoke, no one seemed to notice, the sudden, and millisecond long, shift in the Overseer that rested to the Supreme Being's side.

"I was contacted just earlier today, and was informed by Alucard himself, that he won the battle for Elf Country!" Ainz announced, extending his arms to the side

A silent cheer went through the large crowd, none dared to raise their voices over their master, even in this obvious moment of triumph. Another reason they said nothing, was that in his tone, there was still the wish to say more.

"Yet, he also informed me that they are in grave need of resources and help, since during the battle the capital was destroyed by the enemy forces."

"The enemy, was one that went beyond what we first had expected. One, that we had hoped to never face after our arrival here. Their leader, the Elf King Malekith, a summoner with power to match those of you Guardians, was not only equipped with the World Class Item Kusanagi. But also a guild weapon, that allowed him to go beyond the limits of that power becoming a threat able to more then match Alucard and his group." Ainz said, a horror bathing the listeners

"That wasn't the end of it, serving him were the vampire Ishmael, the angel Azrael and the god Set. Forces who Alucard's Brides and the others with them fought valiantly, in order to bring to us such a great step forward in our short history here. They won, in the face of these mighty foes…" the Overlord fell into silence once more, chilling the room once more

"However, the enemy leader was not finished, and by doing so did something that could have even endangered Nazarick, if not put a swift end to. Upon seeing his fallen minions, Malekith brought forth the World Class Enemy, Yamata no Orochi."

An audible gulp escaped someone in the crowd, even if none pointed it out, or thought of doing so in the face of Ainz's words. Indeed a being of such class would be a problem, something that would put all of them in danger, this much they knew, yet given how Ainz's speech started, that was not the case.

"In the end, not even this was enough to stop him and his group. Victory was theirs, victory was ours. In the end, Nazarick was victorious!" Ainz roared, getting up from his seat

"Let it be known, from today onwards, that the Elf Country is now part of our territory. It is our first major step in this world, and it is all thinks to Alucard-san. Not only him but also, Talia, Touka, Nyx, Zesshi Zetsumei, Lottus Franklin, Brain Unclaus and Clementine, who brought us this victory."

Celebration would have to be held, yet that would come later, for now everyone was dismissed, they were to go and continue their work, all the while spreading the word of this great victory. A victory that had once more showed why Alucard was one of the Supreme Beings, something that in the minds of an unspoken few, was in need of reinforcement, especially after recent events.

* * *

Everyone was in the highest of spirits possible, that is everyone that wasn't Albedo. Of course, she masterfully hid this, but she absolutely loathed the idea of Ainz having any more contact with Alucard.

She had hoped that Alucard, and the vermin he insisted on taking with him, would be happy with their conquering of Elf Country and decide to focus on it, instead of coming back bothering Nazarick with their mess. Indeed, the situation had become rather bothersome, especially after the feats they managed to achieve, it was a terrible thing, just terrible. It helped take care of a future headache, yet it only served to heal Alucard's reputation, the same one she had worked so hard to stain.

Albedo gritted her teeth, her face distorting, she could only imagine what Alucard would do once he got back, or would he be back? There was also the opportunity he would prefer to remain in the new domain, coming to Nazarick rarely, that would make it hard for her to find a way to get rid of him once more.

As she was beginning to fall back into deep thought and planning, something brought her back, the only thing that could ever hope to calm her, Ainz.

[Albedo.] Ainz said

[Y-Yes, Ainz-sama. How my this one be of use?] Albedo eagerly asked

[I need you to come to my bed chamber. I will be waiting] with that the Message ended

Albedo's heart skipped a beat, a process it seemed to repeat several times, till she ultimately had to use a wall to hold herself up. Her wings flapped excitedly, as warm feeling went through her body, focusing especially on her lower body, her legs just a few moments away from total collapse. Did she hear his words properly? Could it be that the time had finally come? Alucard could wait, now a real issue arose, what should she do?

Her breathing became heavier, Albedo wondered if she should go and change into something else, something more appealing. On the other hand, Ainz-sama had called for her with what seemed to be some urgency, would it be alright then to go as she is? Looking around for a brief moment, Albedo decided to quickly recompose herself, as much as the situation would allow it, and go to meet her beloved in his bed chamber. The thought alone made her body go weak again, and another pause necessary, keeping her composure Albedo continued to make her way to her new destination.

* * *

Ainz let out a nervous sigh, at what was about to happen. It had taken him too long to decide to do this, thinking back he had been a full for not deciding to do this sooner. He was certain that having made this decision before the entire situation with Alucard, would have avoided him leaving and Albedo having done what she did. Of course, he could not ignore that by leaving Alucard brought about a one in a life time feat, but that wasn't enough to justify the situation.

He sat on his bed, his attention on the door, his mind once more went to how if he hadn't changed her settings none of this would be possible. Quickly pushing away these thoughts, Ainz hardened his resolve, preparing for the upcoming deed, his non-existing heart getting faster fearing her arrival.

His eyes went down to what he was wearing, [Downfall of Castle and Country] rested on his body. It felt heavy, heavy with the shame of having had to use it on Alucard, and the strain he feared it could have brought upon their relationship.

"Ainz-sama. I have arrived." Albedo announced from the other side of the door

"You may come in. Keep your eyes on the floor and close the door behind you."

"As you wish."

Albedo did exactly as she was told, till finally she stood before him, her eyes still on the floor, she was a rat that had fallen into a trap.

"You may rise your head now." Ainz instructed, and she did so

The Overseer unknowingly froze and paled, after having faithfully executed the given order, she gulped slightly as her eyes recognized what her master was wearing. Her body began to shake in place, it knew what the dress was, and it feared what it could do, not understanding what was happening.

"H-Have I done something to displease you, Ainz-sama?" Albedo asked

Ainz was silent, not even he knew how to answer this, she had done wrong, but that wrong had only happened because of him. Could he answer yes, fully aware that the blame is more his then it is hers?

"N-No. I cannot blame you for acting like you did, after what I changed in you." Ainz replied, solemnly

"Then, if that is the issue, allow me to change! I will purge away my feelings for you, if that is what it takes to please, Ainz-sama." Albedo quickly informed

"That is not enough." Ainz growled, his will solidified, Albedo seemed shocked at this

"The feelings that I place in you, are no longer the issue. Albedo, I know what you did to Alucard-san. I've been informed of everything."

Albedo's face twitched and distorted slightly, her teeth fell on her lip biting into it, she cursed the name under her breath, she cursed the vampire for ever having come to Nazarick, for ever having existed. He dared to do this to her? To put Ainz-sama's view of her in jeopardy? How dare he use his own twisted view of her actions on her beloved?

"A-Ainz-sama, mustn't believe his words. A-All I did was for you, Ainz-sama. All I did was for Nazarick. My intentions were the purest of them all. You must believe me!" Albedo cried out

The Supreme Being raised an uneasy hand towards her, a signal that her time was at an end, the Succubus began to internally panic. Her unmoving eyes, went to every direction, her mind tried to come up with anyway to work around the current situation, however nothing came up, her mind went blank even before the item had a hold on her.

"N-No… No… No… This isn't fair! Ainz-sama, you must believe me. That as your faithful servant, as your faithful dog, I would never do anything to harm Nazarick!" Albedo insisted, beginning to take steps forward

Ainz tried his best not to listen to the words that were coming out of Albedo's mouth, he feared that he would give up if he heard enough of it. Giving up wasn't something he could do, not after coming this far, and after what she had done.

Having covered half of the way between herself and Ainz, Albedo fell to her knees her mind going completely blank, the item had finally gotten a hold of her. Albedor's right hand went to side of her head, as if she was trying to hold on to her fleeing mind, only that could explain why she was holding on so violently to her hair.

Mustering up all her strength, love, and devotion, Albedo forced herself upwards, so her eyes meet her lord's in one final attempt at forgiveness. Her signature beauty was gone, tears streamed down her face, her lip was bloodied from her having bitten down on it, her overall expression was distorted with fear, sadness, and hate for the man who had caused this.

"A-Ainz-s-sama…"

Her body ultimately began to breakdown, she extended her hand towards him but the Supreme Being did nothing. Albedo collapsed on the floor, a crying mess who slowly curled into a fetal position.

"…love… y-you…"

Ainz's extended arm fell to his side, his back arched as his body bent forward, he felt terrible, truly exhausted as he had never felt in his entire life. His eyes went to the still quivering form of the Overseer, it almost made him want to go and comfort her, however he couldn't, it was not the right thing to do.

Soon enough, she began to move, using her hand to clean her drenched face, the Overseer forced herself back to her knees. Her head was hung low, still letting out low sobs, as she once more lowered herself in a deep bow, before finally speaking.

"F-Forgive me, Ainz-sama. For I have sinned against the Supreme Beings." she said

"Please punish this one, who is unworthy of everything she has ever been given."

"Albedo, do you know what you have done?" Ainz asked

"Yes! If Ainz-sama wills it, I will atone with my life. A being such as myself…" Albedo replied, but Ainz spoke over her

"Do you remember why you did it?"

"Yes. I once more apologize, for my actions. It was my twisted feelings and view of the world that brought this about…" she continued, and once again was interrupted

"Your punishment will be decided at a later date. For now, go back to your room, you are only to emerge when I call upon you personally." Ainz ordered

"B-But my crimes…" Albedo tried to argue, but a simple motion from her master was enough to silence her

"I-I will do as you command."

Getting back up, the Overseer took a bow and vanished from the bed chamber, to her room as she had been instructed to do.

* * *

The Captain of the Black Scripture sat on the other side of the table from the six Cardinals, this was a less then planned meeting, in less than optimal location, but given the circumstances it would have to do.

The air was thick from all the tension, on the table, next to every Cardinal was the report given by the Captain describing what happened, and all the decisions he made.

"With whose authority did you made these decisions?" were the first words thrown at the Captain

"My own. Being the top officer present at the scene." was the calm reply

The Cardinal's faces shifted differently, some were visibly displeased by this, while others were still processing everything that had happened.

"You had no authority to end the war! Much less promise a deal between us and them." Dominic growled

"There's no reason for this meeting to go down that road. His reasoning was sound." Berenice pointed out

"That doesn't change that through his actions we are now showing our bellies to the elves."

"That may be the case, but let's look at this situation rationally. Indeed that we are showing weakness by falling back, but as we currently are this is actually a blessing in disguise. After all, the reason this conflict started is no more." Ginedine said

"Something that only came about after a massive battle. One that from what we know destroyed their capital. This is a critical blow to them! Could it not be possible to use this to our advantage? I mean, now that they are falling back, with one final push, we could accomplish much." Raymond remarked, in a suggestive tone

"You suggest we send our forces back to their territory?" Dominic asked, looking back at him

"From what we know the force that brought about the end of the Elf King, was an isolated group. Meaning, the rest of them continue to be weak, and now that they think they have won, is the best opportunity to win this." Raymond explained

"It is too much of a risk." Yvon said

"Our losses are great as it is. Now, even if the elves are weak and possibly just a push away from falling. We can't ignore what stands between us and them." Maximilian began

"This report speaks of something that goes far beyond what we had ever expected to face in this war…" he continued, when he was briefly interrupted by Berenice

"After all, it seems the Thousand Leagues Astrologer was driven to a mad fit of screaming during her duties of overseeing the battle field. That reaction alone tells us what we were truly dealing with."

"Exactly. That reaction, along with the descriptions our soldiers took from afar, and the sounds that echoed through the area. This was a monster of astonishing power, something we are not equipped to deal with. And yet this being was defeated by this group, a group who is a complete unknown outside of two individuals… Captain do you believe that the female undead could be one of them?" Maximilian asked

"I don't believe that was the case. Given her strength, I believe if she was part of their team, she would have come with them to the camp."

"This could mean our theory was wrong." Ginedine sighed

"They were not mates, yet they knew each other enough for one to save the other… Perhaps she moved on thinking him dead, or lost to her, this lost not being enough to move her to take any action against those who attacked him. Who knows, this might have been enough to scare her away from this territory." Yvon suggested

"Whatever the case may be. She is most likely in possession of one of our holy artifacts, such a situation cannot be ignored." Raymond reminded

"What an accursed night that was. To think we could lose so much in just a brief moment…" Maximilian mumbled

"Captain, I remember that even back then you had mention the presence this Alucard had. So much so, the idea that he had killed our strongest God-kin was generally accepted… But to think that they are actually lovers…" Raymond began, just to fall into silence

"Any signs of the Key on her?" he managed to ask

"No."

"C-Captain, in your report you also mention that you suspect that her gear, must have been destroyed. Do you believe this is the factual truth?" Yvon asked

"I know that she would be wearing it in a situation like this. The only reason for her not to do so, is because she couldn't. And given how the relationship between them seems to be a fair one, I can only assume it was critically damaged during their first encounter." the Captain replied, silencing the Cardinal

"We lost far too much as it is." Maximilian spoke up

"We can't risk losing anything else. Much less give her and the rest of her group a reason to turn their attention on us." he added

"Then, we will allow them to rebuild and make the deals she wants?" Raymond asked

"It may not be a pleasing compromise, but yes. I believe we should, after all from what we can tell she has no reason to attack us, and with her as their ruler and if we give them what we can give. The elves may be able to move on from this war, without any large scale action against us." Berenice suggested

"This will be a great risk, that much is certain. Perhaps one of the greatest risks we, as a society, will ever take. All we can do, and should do, is give her what we want, because we the losses we have taken, having lost our trump card God-Kin, having lost many of our artifacts, we cannot risk taking any major blows. And if we do this properly, and the right deals are made, this may become a rather fruitful relationship between both sides in a distant future." Ginedine added

"The people will not be pleased by this." Yvon pointed out

"That can't be helped. No matter how we handled this situation, damage control when it came to the people was already a possibility." Maximilian remarked

"Then it is agreed?" Berenice asked, getting several nods in reply

"Very well, Captain. Your decision will be accepted and properly dealt with. Like always, we are thankful for your services, and hope you will continue to do them fatefully."

"Of course. I live for the greater good of the Slane Theocracy." the Captain replied, with a bow


	73. Questionable Actions

Alucard was helping with the search for survivors, when he received the [Message] from Ainz, that a group was going to be sent to meet him, along with them supplies to help in any immediate needs. Excusing himself from his current duties, Alucard warned everyone in his group and also had someone call the remaining members of the Council to join him in a relatively debris free area.

When the massive [Gate] opened, getting the attention of everyone in the area, Alucard was accompanied by almost every member of his team. The first to break through the portal was Sebas, to his left emerged Demiurge, to his right was Mare, and Shalltear who seemed somewhat lost in the middle of them. After a brief pause, from the portal appeared Yuri Alpha, CZ2128 Delta and an Elder Lich. Only after them did the reason for some worry, outside of Demiurge, appeared in the form of a large battalion of undead carrying several supplies.

Keeping the same positions as they had when they arrived, the NPCs and undead kneeled, before the Supreme Being. Who acknowledging them with a nod, motioned them all to rise, as he really wasn't in the mood for these theatrics.

"It's good to see all of you once again." Alucard said

"Likewise, Alucard-sama." they replied

"Ainz-sama, sends his regards." Demiurge informs

"So, does the rest of Nazarick." Sebas added

"That's good to know. But we have work to do." Alucard announced, resulting in the NPCs and undead to straighten their postures

"Let's start with the supplies, which I see the undead are carrying. Nyx, take them and put them to good use. Alpha go with them."

"As you wish." Nyx, Yuri and the Lich remarked, before going to fulfil their orders

"Now, Mare." Alucard said, directing his attention to the small elf

"Y-Yes."

"Go, with Lottus. See what you can do in terms of clearing up some of the larger debris."

Mare took one quick and nervous bow, before following the Lich to her destination. He was about to direct his attention to Demiurge, when Zeno apparently having perceived his attention he spoke up.

"Are we supposed to trust him!?" he growled

"We came here alone. But we are not alone in this world. There's no need to worry." Alucard replied

"Here's hoping." Zesshi remarked, Alucard was about to speak, but Demiurge spoke up first

"If I may interject. I, as one of the Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, have pledged my loyalty to the Supreme Beings. As long, as Alucard-sama, wishes it I will do my best to aid your cause." the demon informed

The members of the Council looked at each other, they didn't seem to be fully comfortable with the situation, however decided to live with it if it meant getting the help they needed. Still, there were a few things natural curiosity made it impossible to hold back.

"T-These Supreme Being. Does that mean you?" Rathal asked, looking at Alucard and Zesshi

Upon hearing this, Demiurge was more then ready to answer the poor ignorant elf, properly teach him, and appropriately berate him for having placed Zesshi upon the highest pedestal. Luckily for them, Zesshi took it upon herself to reply, perhaps having seen that the demon was about to act.

"There is a lot that we have yet to explain. But while I believe that you all deserve a proper explanation, I think that we should make it our priority to rescue any missing survivors and take care of those we have already found. Agreed?" she suggested, to which the elves naturally agreed with

"Then, Demiurge stay with Zesshi. Shadow her as she oversees and helps organize things. You will be our direct link to Nazarick, whatever we need, we will rely on you to transmit the vast majority of information and requests. Touka and Brain go with them, help with whatever is needed."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." they replied

"What have I done to deserve this." Zesshi mumbled, as she began to walk away

"What about us, Alucard-sama?" Sebas asked

"With me. We can help out with finding survivors and taking them to get healed." Alucard replied, already turning around to walk away

"As you wish." Sebas said, following after his superior

* * *

The members of the Council had taken the lead, since they knew were they were going, they did this because they did not like the aura emanated by the demon. The thing seemed to be composed of pure malice, they failed to understand how their future rulers were comfortable with receiving its aid. This aura was magnified by his expression, that bathed him with a loathsome sense of superiority. This superiority was not like that of their former King, a man who showed his standing by a general lack of interest in those bellow him, however this demon was different. His fiendish smile, told them that he indeed took notice of them, yet not as a superior should acknowledge their underlings. His intentions seemed to be for the most fiendish, twisted, and abhorrent reasons, this was what his smile, and previous experiences interacting with the Elite told them. It was for this reason, why they failed to understand their connection to this demon.

Zesshi had placed herself in between them and Demiurge, as she walked she could ear him mumble as he took in his surroundings, the death, the destruction, and how the survivors worked together to save what remained. She had never liked being around him, his air of superiority and held back malice had at times made her fear her life, something she found common after her defeat. As she adapted to her life in Nazarick, the fear somewhat diminished and was added disgust, for the demon. She wondered what would have happened to her if Alucard didn't hold as much power as he did in Nazarick, what would have been made of her then.

"Such vigorous workers. They could prove rather useful for Ainz-sama. Perhaps I could employ them in my farms." Demiurge mumbled to himself, seemingly rather amused by the thought

"What did you say?"

Zesshi stopped right after growling out her question, her voice making everyone in the group stop. She turned around and looked at the demon, who starred back at her with the amused expression one would give a child.

"I don't remember saying anything, offensive." Demiurge remarked, calmly

"Don't you mock me, Demiurge! I heard exactly what you were mumbling to yourself." Zesshi roared

"Is that so? And my I ask, who are you to question the things I say, or do?"

To this the half-elf gave him a triumphant and smug smile, she was hoping he would say something along those lines, she was more then eager to drop the answer to this question.

"Of course, you don't know, but let me tell you. I am Zesshi Zetsumei, the lover and soon to be wife to your precious Alucard-sama." she announced

For the first time, since she had ever laid eyes upon the demon, she saw his perfect poker face break, as genuine incredulity appeared on it. Incredulity that was followed by a small chuckle, that seemed to transmit the fact that he did not believe her claims.

"You want to confirm it with him?" Zesshi asked, stopping his amusement in its tracks

"Thought so. And even if I was lying, you still have no right to say what you said. These are my people, they have earned the right to live freely without having to fear the wrath of some tyrant who thinks he owns them. No, Demiurge, you will not be asking Ainz or Alucard if they can be used in your projects. And you want to know why? Because, I took down the last bastard who thought he owned them, and I swear that I will do the same to the next guy who tries to do the same thing. Be it, human, elf, demon, or Supreme Being, I swear they will never again have to go through this."

"Quite the ego, you've got there. Have you forgotten that my interests are Nazarick's interests? Are you saying that if it was the best thing for Nazarick, for your people to aid in our work, you would deny it?" Demiurge asked

"Yes. Look around you and then look back at me. Before you stands, the future Queen of the Elves. I don't care what your interests are, and while I'm at it, I don't care if you are one of the Guardians of Nazarick. When you come here, you are in my territory, Nazarick's rules and ranks do not have any power here. I can do whatever I want, as long as it is the best for my people."

"An amusing concept. It does seem this ego of yours is making you rather unruly and insubordinate. Do not forget, that even if you have those delusions of freedom, you are still Alucard-sama's pet, and like a good pet you will do as he wants. Do you honestly believe he would ever allow you to harm Nazarick in anyway?"

"It is you who is amusing himself with ridiculous concepts. You are speaking of things you know nothing about. I can do as I please. Alucard and me are equals. A concept that surely your blind loyalty to that pile of bones, makes it impossible to understand."

Zesshi had spoken too much, she knew this the moment she finished speaking and had just called Ainz a "pile of bones". However, it was too late to take it back, as Demiurge let through a portion of his rage and bloodlust, his face distorting with a failing effort to keep his calm expression, as he spoke.

"Alucard-sama's pet or lover, either way, I am certain he won't mind me applying correct punishment for such insults."

Brain and Touka were just now about to get in between them, trying to defuse the hostile situation, but before they could do so, and just as Demiurge was taking a step towards her, a [Gate] opened between. From the portal emerged, Alucard, accompanied by his group, and now Talia.

"What is going on here?" Alucard growled, his attention going to the demon

"I apologize for having shown my unbecoming side, Alucard-sama. However, this woman not only questioned my authority as one of Nazarick's guardians, but she also went as far as insulting Ainz-sama."

Alucard raised an eyebrow at this, before turning around to look at Zesshi, giving her an expression as if asking her what she had done.

"Fine. I called him a "pile of bones". But it wasn't on purpose. And more importantly, he started it!" Zesshi pointed out

"Zesshi…" Alucard began to say, but she spoke over him

"He was mumbling to himself! How the elves could be of use to him, how he could use them in his projects. Was I just supposed to let him ramble on about it!?"

This time Alucard's eyes went back to the demon, then back to her, before the vampire let out a deep sigh.

"First, you need to learn how to control that temper of yours. Second, Demiurge, under no circumstances will anything happen to the people of this land, no matter how you think it may help Nazarick."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama." Demiurge said, taking a stiff bow

"Now, I want the two of you to drop this subject. We have far too much work to do, to let something like this get in the way. Understood?"

"Yes!" everyone replied

"But while we are at it, perhaps you could explain to him the difference between a lover and a pet." Zesshi hissed

"…" Alucard was about to say something, this time Shalltear spoke over him

"Lover!?" she gasped, in absolute shock

"And future wife." the half-elf added, wrapping her arms around Alucard's left

"Zesshi, you should behave yourself. Your unbecoming actions, only hurt Alucard-sama." Talia remarked

"What!? You should be on my side in this. I'm certain he would also view you in the same light as me."

"What!? Her too!?" Shalltear gasped

"Y-Yes." Talia admitted, her face turning bright red

"N-No way… Can I join in?" the female vampire questioned, looking at Alucard

"Shalltear…." the Supreme Being began, but Zesshi spoke over him

"No, you can't. Right Talia?" she replied, looking at the Bride who did the same with her head

"W-Why?" Shalltear asked

"Because, this goes beyond a simple sexual need, or the relationship between master and servant. That is why you cannot "join in"." Alucard replied, in a serious tone

"B-But…" she tried to speak, but he continued

"Nothing. You have to find someone, that wants to be with you as much as you want to be with them."

Shalltear bit her lip, as visible tears began to build up in her eyes. Seeing this, Alucard walked towards her, and patted her head, like he did to Nyx from time to time. However, not even this action seemed to be enough to calm her down, of course he was expecting this.

"You should go back and rest, Shalltear."

"N-No. I can still…" she went silent, when his right index finger fell on her lips

"This, me, is the only reason you came here correct?" she simply nodded

"Go back. You have already played your part. Go back and rest, Shalltear."

His hand fell to the side, her tears were now freely falling, her head going up so her eyes would meet his. Her attention, then went to Zesshi and Talia, finally going back to him, as she took a deep bow.

"T-Thank you, Alucard-sama."

Opening a [Gate], Shalltear left to go rest like her master had instructed her to.

"Now. Can we move on?" Alucard asked looking around, getting a positive response in reply

"Good. Let's go."

Alucard looked back at Demiurge one more time, part of him wanting to comment on him calling Zesshi his "pet", however he held himself back, not wanting to waste any more time with pointless arguments. Still, at a personal level the word didn't set well with him.

* * *

Time began to pass, and with it would eventually came winter, the reason why all of those involved felt like the rebuilding process had to be done as quickly as possible. If not it, then the process of creating appropriate shelter for the elves and all the others the season would affect.

It was thanks to the efforts of Alucard, his group, Mathius and his creations, the resources of the Mine and Nazarick combined, that the process quickly develop, all the while the outside world continued ignorant of what had happened. So much so, that after 3 months, the rebuilding process had reached the point, where winter was not going to be an issue for the elves.

Even if the weather was colder, work continued, now being done mostly by undead, with the living having a more limited involvement. It was also during this time that the annual war in the Katze Plains would take place, Alucard knew that Ainz would be there, but outside of that he knew little of what was going to happen, since he now spent most of his energy on the elves. Still, wanting to know what went down on the battlefield, he had sent Touka to monitor the battle from the distance.

Having returned from watching the battle, Touka made her way through the building Alucard was now helping rebuilt. It wasn't difficult to find him, she really only needed to follow the strangely large number of women and their gossiping, all of it focused on her creator. It was as if Alucard failed to understand he had on women, or most likely chose to ignore it, that could be the only explanation for him doing most of his work shirtless. His explanation for such a thing, was that it made it easier for him to move around without clothes restricting him too much. He said this, all the while seemingly ignorant of all the heads that turned when he walked by or the jaws that dropped when he did anything.

Entering the room, he was currently in, having to walk pass a small group of female elves, Touka saw as her master helped to hold a heavy piece of stone in place, his actions and those of the workers being coordinated by an older looking elf.

"I have returned, Alucard-sama." she announced, kneeling next to the entrance

"Welcome back, Touka. What do you have for me?" Alucard asked, not taking his eyes off his current task

Touka gulped, her head rising slightly to meet him, but going straight down when it seemed he was going to look at her. She did not know how to phrase what she had seen, especially in front of all these people who saw them as their saviors. What would they think if she was to brief him in their presence?

"Is something the matter?" he asked, bringing her back from her thoughts

"N-No. B-But may we speak somewhere else, private?" Touka argued, her nervousness showing in her voice

"Then, it will have to wait, till I'm finished here."

"No, no. Not at all, my Lord. Please go and speak with her, we can deal with it from here." the older elf was quick to say

"Are you sure?" the vampire asked

"O-Of course."

"Very well. But I will get someone to assist you."

Almost as soon as he said this, a [Gate] opened from where emerged a hulking undead looking being, it was one of Mathius's most recent creations, and it was self sufficient enough to be able to understand simple instructions, which meant it was perfect for this role.

"Do everything he says." Alucard ordered, as the creature took his role holding the stone in place

"[Gate]. After you." he said, motioning to Touka

The female vampire gave him a quick nod, rose back to her feet and walked through the newly opened portal. Walking through it, she found herself assaulted by the cold day hair, looking around she saw that she was indeed standing on top of the Citadel.

"I'm listening." Alucard announced, closing the portal behind him

"R-Right…"

Touka fell back into silence, failing to properly word what had happened, part of her feared how her master would react, since she knew his point of view on meaningless killing. She, like all of them, had noticed his sorrowful reactions to what their "rescue" of the elves had brought about.

"What happened, Touka?" he asked, with a more serious tone, understanding that something wasn't right

"Ainz-sama… Use [Iä Shub-Niggurath] on the Kingdom's forces… Resulting in at least 100000 deaths. Then, the resulting 5 Dark Young, killed at least a 100 more. I apologize, for not being more accurate in my report." she replied

For a while there was nothing, Touka could only stare downwards, as her master stood frozen in place, not even an inch of him moved as he analyzed the information. Then, his fists began to tighten, his lips curled into a snarl, as his eyes slowly and steadily turned crimson.

"Did they attack him?" Alucard hissed

"N-No. They did not."

"You are saying that he unleashed a Super Tier Spell on what was, at the time, a passive crowd?"

"Yes."

"Did you manage to listen to anything else he said?"

"N-No."

"You are dismissed." Alucard growled

"A-Alucard-sama…" Touka tried to speak, but he interrupted her

"You are dismissed, Touka. That is an order."

"As you wish." with that she left, deciding to jump off the building

[Ainz. Are you there?] Alucard asked, via Message

[I am. Is there something you need, Alucard-san?]

[I was wondering when, we could meet.]

[I can get back to my chamber in about an hour or so.]

[Alright. Tell me when you get there.] with that he ended the call

Alucard uncurled his fists and forcefully passed his opened hands through his hair, all the while letting out a low hiss. He was doing his very best not to start breaking everything around him, he couldn't have anyone see him like that.

Touka was also using Message, however she was using it to inform Zesshi and Talia about what happened, and how Alucard had reacted. She feared what he might do, and was hoping that his two lovers, the two people closest to him might be able to calm him down. Untorturable for them, when they were indeed able to act, they failed to either find or get into contact with Alucard.

* * *

Alucard emerged from the [Gate] into Ainz's chamber, with him was Albedo who Alucard ignored as he made a beeline towards the Overlord. Ainz got up from behind his desk and went to greet his approaching friend, however what came next he could have never expected.

With speed that went beyond anything Ainz could have ever expected, or countered with his experience as Momon, Alucard delivered a straight right hand to his guild master's jaw, sending him crashing into the floor.

Acting quickly, Albedo went to separate them, yet Alucard was not in the mood to let her put her hands on him, even if she was no longer the same woman who had conspired against him. She approached him from behind, her arms outstretched as she seemingly was about to try and get a hold of him and pull him away from her fallen master.

Expecting this, Alucard masterfully ducked going under her arm before quickly getting back up ready for when she turned around. Albedo bent forwards as Alucard's open palm landed on her midsection, which was quickly followed by an uppercut, sending the Overseer into the ground.

Alucard's attention then went to the Eight-Edged Assassins that were also advancing towards him, even if they seemed less then willing to do so, faced with the prospect of going against one of the Supreme Beings, especially one that currently looked as vicious as Alucard did.

"That's enough! All of you are dismissed and are to leave right now!" he ordered

The NPCs momentarily stopped, looking at each other not knowing what to do, as obviously Ainz was in a dangerous situation, yet this was an order from the highest standing in Nazarick. Albedo was also beginning to stagger back to all fours, her hand covering her nose, yet failing to hide the small stream of blood that came out of it.

"Do, as he says! All of you leave." Ainz ordered, using one of his hand to feel if his jaw had taken any damage

"B-But, Ainz-sama…" Albedo tried to argue, but he wasn't having none of it

"Leave."

"As you wish."

The NPCs took a bow, Albedo still using her hand to cover her bleeding nose, then they turned around and left, even if they felt uneasy about doing so.

"A-Alucard-san… What is the meaning of this?" Ainz asked, staggering back to his feet

"We need to talk." Alucard growled back, starring him down


	74. New Direction

Touka paced back and forth in a small room that was in one of the temporary buildings used to shelter those who, for one reason or another, could not work. These buildings were also used to house the workers when they were finished for the day, and it was here that for the time being Brain had decided to stay.

After having informed Zesshi and Talia of Alucard's reaction to the news, she went to see Brain, as they had grown closer after Malekith's defeat, and had recently begun an open relationship, much to the surprise of some.

Brain entered the room, regulating his breathing since he had just returned from helping with the rebuilding efforts. Still, it only took him a single glance to understand that something was wrong.

"How bad was it?" Brain asked, knowing that she had been sent to observe the annual battle.

"I... At least 100,000 deaths." She replied, finally stopping her pacing about.

Brain felt his chest tighten at her answer. He felt the pain of imagining so many of his kind dying what he would imagine to be terrifying deaths. He knew Gazef would have been there, and he feared that he too had died. Brain would have liked to meet him again and have a rematch, but now something told him that he would never get it.

"Is that what is troubling you?" He softly asked, and finally she was looking at him.

"N-No. At least, not as much as when I told Alucard-sama."

Brain could see the change in her expression, and it was genuine concern and fear. He doubted that it was because she feared him. No. Perhaps she feared something he would do. Either way, Brain closed the space between them trying to comfort her, but she raised her hand to stop him and distanced herself from him.

"I-I fear what may happen. He was so angry, and we are certain he went to Nazarick. Who knows what may happen… I... for the last 2 Supreme Beings to be torn apart by something I said…" Touka informed, falling into mumbles.

"Touka, you can't think like that. You did nothing wrong, you were simply doing your job when you informed Alucard on the aftermath." Brain calmly pointed out.

"Yet, that does not help me feel at ease. What if this creates a rift between Alucard-sama and Ainz-sama?" She argued back, distraught at the thought.

"I'm sure that won't happen. I doubt Alucard would do something like that. Especially with how critical of a role Nazarick is playing in helping us."

Touka knew this, and indeed it made sense for Alucard to want to maintain his good relationship with Ainz, even if what happened angered him immensely. Yet, that was not what she saw. At that moment, she was certain Alucard saw nothing else but Ainz's actions. As she was lost in her thoughts, Brain took the opportunity to close the distance between them. He gave her a brief hug, and a soft kiss to the forehead, before placing his hands on her shoulders and speaking.

"Don't worry Touka. I'm sure things will end up fine."

"I appreciate your optimism, Brain. But I don't think it will be that easy." Touka sighed, lazily pushing his arms aside.

Brain sighed and scratched the back of his head. It seemed she had her mind set on the worst-case scenario, and though he understood why, yet he didn't want this to affect her.

"Touka, you can't believe that whatever does happen is your fault. You were simply doing your job. If anyone did something wrong here, it's Ainz." Brain nonchalantly remarked.

"Remember who you are talking about, Brain. While I may overlook these words, remember that others won't." Touka said in a serious tone.

"R-Right. My mistake."

"Also remember that while Ainz-sama was the one that caused this, I was the one that informed Alucard-sama of it. In this situation if anything goes wrong the blame will fall on me. And I also will not be able to live with myself knowing I brought about such misery into Alucard-sama's life."

Brain was silent, as Touka began to walk pass him and towards the exit, in a last ditch effort to try and cheer her up, he grabbed on to her arm and pulled her into his embrace.

"I still have some time on my break. Why don't you let me try and cheer you up?" He asked with a suggestive tone and a soft smile.

Touka gave him a weak chuckle, once again pushing his hand carefully away, before ultimately leaving. Brain let out a deep sigh and allowed his body to fall back onto the floor, so he could rest his aching body. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he could keep up his word if she had agreed.

A fatigued sigh escaped his lips. He was worried. Even if he had tried to look calm in order to try and help Touka, Brain wasn't sure if everything would indeed go that well. He could only imagine what Alucard would do. He knew that the vampire seemed to care about those around him. The ones most of Nazarick saw as insects. Brain saw how their deaths affected his superior, and feared what would happen in the given situation. He feared what Alucard's wrath could bring about.

* * *

Alucard did not move. His piercing gaze starred down at Ainz as the Overlord began to make it back to his feet. Ainz managed to get back up and his eyes met Alucard's, and for a moment it was as if all air was taken out of the room. It was a momentary and quick glance that certainly would have floored any other being in Nazarick.

"Are you going to hit me again?" Ainz dryly asked, walking pass Alucard towards one of the sofas.

"I don't know. I'm still deciding." Alucard growled, as Ainz allowed his body to fall back into the seat.

"Very well. What happened to make you act this way, Alucard-san?" The Overlord asked in concern, as the vampire took a seat on the sofa in front of him.

"When I was informed that you would be taking part in the annual war at the Katze Plains, I will admit I did not think much of it. I understood what would be taking place. It would be an opportunity to show the world what we are capable of, and it would be a simple affair. Still, I sent Touka to watch the battle from afar…" Alucard began, pausing as his hand went through his hair.

"What she told me, is rather worrisome." He said in a hiss, his predatory gaze falling on Ainz.

"H-How so?" Ainz asked, being able to imagine the answer.

"From what I've been told, and I'm sure you are aware of this, your actions killed a lot of people. At least 100,000 people." Alucard retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"That is because, as you said, this was the moment for us to show our strength. More so, I simply fulfilled Jircniv's request to use my strongest spell. With the results I'm sure he will have no reason to doubt our abilities." Ainz said with a small chuckle in the end.

"What Jircniv wants doesn't justify the use of [Iä Shub-Niggurath], or any other Super-Tier spell for that matter. You could have easily used an 8th-tier spell and gotten the wanted reaction out of him, and everyone else present." Alucard growled back, to which Ainz shifted in his seat.

"But that aside, you must understand that there was no justifiable reason to kill all those people! Not even if it meant maintaining our relationship with the Empire."

"Listen to what you're saying, Alucard-san. Our alliance with the Empire will help further our goals. I simply did what I needed to do for the future of Nazarick."

"Surely you cannot put something like that above all those lives?"

"Something like that? We're talking about Nazarick, the last thing that we have left from…" Ainz began to reply, but Alucard stopped him with a stifled roar in his voice.

"That doesn't justify a thing! There was no viable reason to go about needlessly killing so many. Ainz, again you could have gotten a similar effect with less effort and deaths."

The Overlord kept silent. His hand went to his chin as his mind went through the events of the battle. Had he really done something that bad? He could only see how it would have benefited Nazarick, and how he had also managed to reach the spell's limit. However, he decided not to mention this achievement to Alucard just yet.

"I… Indeed. I killed a lot of people. However, I simply did by myself what they would have done to each other. I single-handedly ended that war." Ainz weakly argued.

"Is that how you think wars should be ended? By one-sidedly crushing the other side? That does work. Trust me, I know. But do you plan on doing this every time we come across a new kingdom?"

"…"

Ainz was about to answer, but Alucard interrupted him.

"No, you cannot. We cannot. Let me tell you something, as we speak, both sides are terrified of you. Terrified that if they do something wrong, you will do to them what you did today. That fear will not last, but if you continue doing this, people will turn on you, and soon everyone will fear Nazarick. They will join forces, trying to find anyone and anything that can stop you, and they will strive to take down the monster who single-handedly killed over 100,000 people."

Alucard took a deep breath after finishing his rant. He paused as he allowed Ainz to take in all that was said. As he waited, Alucard began to feel that perhaps he had reacted too harshly to the situation, but he couldn't go back. He knew that something like that could not happen again. Not like it did today, and especially not without proper provocation or justification.

Ainz raised his hands and lowed his head to look at them. His crimson eyes traced every bony feature, just before a defeated sigh left his skull.

"Monsters…" He mumbled, getting up and walking back to his desk.

"Are we not monsters, Alucard-san? I mean, just look at us." The Overlord added in a low voice.

"We may look like it, but there is no reason for us to act like it. Not when the stakes and the consequences are so high."

Ainz allowed his form to fall onto his chair. His right hand fell onto the desk, his fingers tapping on the wooden top, as his gaze was focused on Alucard.

"You know this, Alucard-san. I feel nothing, and whatever emotion I do feel is quickly suppressed. But, I will tell you this… I felt a certain sense of pride when it felt like I had reached the spell's max summon of 5 Dark Young…" The Overlord admitted.

"Sure, I understand the concept of what I did was wrong, but I felt nothing from it. Unlike you, I have lost that part of me."

Ainz sighed once more, as his hands went to his forehead, followed by releasing a frustrated growl as he slammed his fist down onto the table. Shortly after this a light greenish aura flashed, and then faded, along with his spiked frustrations. His emotions once again stabilized, but he then spoke with a tinge of desperation in his voice.

"W-Where did this go wrong? I simply wanted to prolong, to make eternal, what we built. I want to spread its name across the land, so as to get the attention of anyone of our guild that might have been out there. If not, then I want to give Nazarick, to give us, the grandeur I believe we deserve… But, I also want to keep my image in front of the NPCs. I-It's simply ridiculous how highly they see me. What am I to do if I make a mistake in front of them? I... I just..."

In Ainz's voice, Alucard heard a man who was overtaxed and terrified of failure. A man who felt that even the slightest misstep would be the end of him, and Alucard had understood this perfectly. He had seen it before. He had lived it.

"I'll help you Ainz. I never said that I wouldn't. You helped me and Zesshi with the Elf Country, so this is the least I can do."

"T-Thank you, Alucard-san." Ainz said in a tone of relief. Like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"First, we should lay down some ground rules. I do agree with the idea of creating a kingdom, so long as it is done in the right way. And to do that we need to set down rules, for everyone to follow in order to make sure our relationships with other countries are as stable and amiable as possible."

"A-Agreed. Perhaps I should call in some of the NPCs…" Ainz began, but Alucard stopped him with a simple hand motion.

"No, at least not for now. Their views on the outside world would not make this an easy process. And, I do have something I want to discuss before we talk about this."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Demiurge."

* * *

A [Gate] opened in the room that Alucard, Zesshi, and Talia were using for the time being. The same one they used in their first time in the Mines of Tartarus. Emerging through the portal, Alucard let out a loud sigh, as he arched his stiff back. If his perception of time wasn't wrong he had spent almost an entire day in Nazarick, but alas it was a necessary, and hopefully a worthwhile sacrifice.

"Finally!" Came the familiar voice of Zesshi from behind him.

Alucard only had the time to turn around before getting tackled by Zesshi, yet managing to maintain his footing, as his arms went around her. Standing near the open entrance, from where he assumed Zesshi had come from was Talia, both of them were wearing nightgowns, meaning they had most likely spent most of the night in the room, and only woken up a short while ago. Pushing herself away from Alucard's light embrace, Zesshi looked up at him so their eyes would meet, on her face he could see worry, annoyance, and slight anger.

"What did you do?" She asked, with a less than pleased tone.

"I-I… I punched Ainz." Alucard replied with a weak laugh.

A collective expression of shock formed on Zesshi's and Talia's faces. That alone should be the reason to why they weren't allowed to go to Nazarick during the entire day, and most forms of communication were blocked.

"I... also floored Albedo…" He added with a smile.

"B-But, you are here… How did he react?... What happened?" Zesshi mumbled, unsure of what to say.

"He did not punch me back. And as you can see I am still unalive, so I say that it went pretty well." Alucard replied, beginning to make his way to the bed.

"A-Alucard-sama, I do not wish to go against your words. However, you do not seem pleased with the situation. A-Actually, you seem rather angered."

Unknown to Alucard, one of the topics that he and Ainz had approached, and still now remained on his mind, had left a rather displeased expression on his face. This facial expression being one of the reasons, why the two women were so concerned, and almost unsure of how to approach him.

"When did I become such an easy read…" He said with a sigh, taking a seat on the bed.

"Everything related to our future and Nazarick's future, went well. We discussed almost everything that came to mind. We wrote down several rules that are to be followed in the future to make sure nothing like this happens again without reason. Also, what I did won't affect them helping us. If anything, our relationship is stronger now than it was before I punched him…"

Alucard paused, as this time he used his hand to scratch the side of his neck, somewhat violently. So much so, when the women sat next to him, one at each side, Talia calmly lowered his arm.

"I-I could have stopped this… But I was too much focused on myself and my own things to notice it…"

"What do you mean?" Zesshi asked.

"I should have been aiding Ainz long ago. What Demiurge said about you being my pet didn't really leave my mind, and that began to make me think about how the other denizens of Nazarick see those from outside. In this case, my attention was focused on Demiurge and the projects I thought I knew he was in charge off…" Once again he fell into silence, as his eyes began to glow, and his body tensed.

"Sheep… Chimera… That bastard… To think he was actually using…" He hissed, between gritted teeth.

"Humans?" Talia added, he stiffly nodded.

"I could have done something about it. If I had payed attention to what Ainz was letting them do…"

"But it's over now right!? You put an end to his projects right!?" Zesshi growled, getting his attention.

"Y-Yes. Ainz sent Sebas and some others to put an end to it and destroy everything that is left behind."

"They are going to kill them!?" Zesshi hissed.

"Yes. After what they went through, death will be a blessing." Alucard replied, with a stern expression.

"What about that bastard?"

"Me and Ainz will discuss it later. For now, he is to remain in Nazarick."

"Then, you must let go of these thoughts Alucard-sama." Talia informed.

"I…"

Alucard had no time to reply, as Zesshi swiftly placed herself on his lap, and placed her arms around his neck, and silenced him with a quick kiss.

"We still have a couple of hours before we return back to work. We will make sure your mind is properly rested till then~" She said in a mischievous tone.

"I-I really just wanted to lay down and get some rest."

"Hah! No deal." She argued back.

* * *

Several weeks passed after that, and Alucard had once again ventured out of the Elf Country. This time to a house in the Re-Estize Kingdom. The home of Abraham Van Helsing. The reason Alucard was returning there, well the main reason, was that he understood that the Kingdom had fallen into a decline. Something he wished to save this man and his family from.

Using [Gate] he had transported himself to a clearing in the forest near the manor. The same clearing he had to go, and pickup Clementine so long back. Quickly he made his way through the trees until he finally broke through the forest, and came face to face with the building. He paused for a moment as he thought what he was going to say, when suddenly something fell on him.

His ears had picked up the noise of something jumping from the branches above him, and he would have acted more violently if he hadn't concluded that by its size, the new arrival was in fact a child. His head move from side to side along with his eyes, and he managed to see that the child now resting on his shoulders. It was in fact, Integra.

"Where have you been?" The girl playfully asked, jumping from his shoulders and on to the ground.

"Why are you out here?" Alucard calmly retorted.

"I was playing hide and seek, and decided to hide outside of the house."

"Won't the people you are playing with be concerned when they cannot find you?"

"Perhaps." She said with a grin.

Alucard and Integra continued to make their way towards the house, when suddenly the front door flung open and another young girl, yet older than Integra, emerged from inside. Much to Alucard's surprise it was Alexa.

"W-Where were you!?" Alexa asked in a huff, visibly concerned.

"I was in the trees." Integra calmly replied, pointing to the forest.

Alexa let out a relieved sigh. She had been looking for the girl all over, and was starting to become concerned what her parents would think if they noticed that she was unable to find Integra anywhere.

"A-And you…" She mumbled in surprise, looking up at Alucard.

"Hello Alexa." The vampire greeted with a small bow.

"W-Why are you here?"

"I came here to speak with Abraham and his wife."

"Then, please come in. Abraham said you would return, eventually."

All eyes went to the door, there stood Claudia, she gave the new arrival a graceful bow and motioned him to enter. After he did so, she lead him upstairs, where Abraham was currently in his office, while motioning Integra and Alexa to wait downstairs and continue playing with each other.

Claudia opened the door to the office, entering it first before announcing her presence to Abraham, who was currently taking care of some documents. She didn't need to announce Alucard, as the hunter's keen senses picked up on his presence as soon as he entered his home.

"I was wondering when you would come back. You could have at least given me some indication that it would be a while until you returned. But I guess that after getting what you wanted, you were lacking in reasons to come here." Abraham remarked, putting his papers away.

"I apologize for the long period of silence. With the communicator getting destroyed, and the complications I got myself into, I am lacking in any real free time." Alucard informed.

"I see. Come in, take a seat, and do tell me what has happened to you."

"Thank you. But I came here with a proposition, so I would like for your wife to listen to it as well." The vampire said, taking his seat.

"A-Alright. Claudia, please join us." Abraham said, motioning to the seat next to Alucard.

"As you wish." Claudia replied, closing the door and taking her seat.

"First, I would like to apologize for having gotten the communicator destroyed, but things got kind of rough while I was out there." Alucard informed, causing Abraham to raise an eyebrow at him.

"What did you get yourself into? If I'm correct, there shouldn't be that many things that could cause you any real trouble."

"That brings me to the real reason I am here. Maybe you have heard the rumors that have been going around related to the war between the Theocracy and Elf Country?"

"We have. Apparently, the war is over, the King is dead, his head taken by a half-breed daughter, who has now taken over along an unknown undead being."

"Exactly. Now here are the facts. The rumors are 100% true. A team lead by said half-elf went into the elven capital. There in what turned out to be an all-out war that destroyed most of the said capital, they achieved victory. By doing so they took the reigns of the kingdom and ended the war with the Theocracy." Alucard said, before pausing.

"And that is you?" Abraham asked, with a light chuckle.

"Indeed. I was part of the team, and have now been given the place of their King."

"How strong was the previous King? I heard stories that he was rather powerful, but never managed to get anything concrete."

"He was very powerful. As we met him he was stronger than I am. Not only that but he had under him beings of also similar power to mine. Like I said before, our clash destroyed most of the capital. Something we have been working on fixing to this day."

"Heh he. That must be an awesome team you have."

"I-Indeed, they are. But that is not why I came here. I came here because I know what happened during your annual war with the Empire, and I know the state it left the Kingdom in. I want to offer your family a secure home in the capital, enough of it has already been rebuilt to make it possible."

"An interesting offer to be sure. But as you said, you are still in the process of rebuilding. How is that better than the current situation of the Kingdom?" The hunter argued with a raised eyebrow.

"As it is, our only major concern is rebuilding, and on that end, we have the means to do it. We can offer your family a new home. I understand if you don't wish to go now. After all, the situation has yet to be properly stabilized, but in the future, I would like to take you in."

"Y-You will provide us with a better situation then what we have here?" Claudia asked in mild shock.

"I wouldn't be making this offer if I couldn't. As you both know, the Kingdom is starting to decline. I simply wish to save those that aided me from that fate."

"To move the entire family to Elf Country…" Abraham mumbled as he leaned back on his seat.

"Perhaps we could discuss this in private?" Claudia suggested.

"Of course. But before I go, there is something else I must point out. The same woman that attacked your house, is alive and is part of that team. Meaning she too is living there." Alucard revealed.

Abraham's face light up with rage and anger as he immediately understood what the vampire was talking about, yet failed to understand why the woman was still alive.

"She should have been dead!" He hissed.

"Under normal circumstances yes. But I found her and healed her."

"Why!?"

"Someone like her is useful. I was not going to waste such usefulness."

"And you expect me to take my family to the same place as her? That w…"

"Abraham please." Claudia said in a low tone, silencing him.

"B-But, Claudia…" He tried to continue, but she kept going.

"Please let us discuss this by ourselves." She said, looking at Alucard.

"Of course. I will be waiting outside then." Alucard replied, taking his leave.

* * *

Alucard got up from his seat, gave them a quick nod, and left the office. As he opened the door to leave, he was surprised by seeing that Alexa, and by extension Integra, had actually been listening in on the conversation. Alexa stumbled backwards at his sudden appearance, falling on her buttocks as she did so. The vampire said nothing as he calmly closed the door to the office, and began to walk past her.

"W-Wait!" She cried out, grabbing onto his sleeve as she got back up.

"Yes?" Alucard asked back, helping her get back up.

"Take me with you!"

"Excuse me?" The vampire asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't want to stay in this dying Kingdom. I want to go somewhere else. Somewhere I can be myself and act as I wish."

"I... I apologize but I cannot take you with me."

"Why not!?" Alexa asked, sounding almost desperate.

"For the simple reason that if I took you, I would have to take everyone. The reason I am taking the Helsings is because they helped me, and this is my way of paying them back."

The girl's face twisted with visible indignation. She let go of his sleeve and looked at him during a short period of time, her mind processing what he had said. His words made a lot of sense. He was paying back a debt he had to the Helsings. She however had only been helped by him more than once. Yet, every time he had helped her it would have been selflessly. Surely, he would allow her to go with him, surely, he would understand that this is what is best for her.

"B-But I want to live a better life away from my father. Somewhere where I will be able to actually make use of my abilities. You must understand this!"

"I know enough to understand what you are asking me. However, you must be able to understand that if I did take you with me, what your father would be able to accuse me of, right?" Alucard argued back.

Alexa understood perfectly what could happen, and how it could ruin the reputation of someone that from what she understood, was now a king of his own nation. No, she could not let that happen, yet she knew that even then Alucard may not allow her to go with him.

"W-What if I was of use to you, would you consider taking me then!?"

"Calm down, Alexa. Are you that desperate to start your life somewhere else?"

"Yes!"

Alucard shifted slightly, holding back a troubled sigh, she truly sounded desperate and eager to set out on her own, but he couldn't do it. He could only imagine what kind of accusations her father could throw at him, and how that would affect Elf Country.

"What could you do for us?" Alucard asked.

"You said that you were rebuilding your kingdom. Surely you will need someone to help remake your commercial routes. Someone who understands the best ways to do business with other countries, and someone who knows how to get you the best opportunities."

"And you can do all of that?"

"O-Of course I can. I wouldn't lie to you." She quickly replied.

"What about your family?"

"I can talk to my father and make sure he isn't an issue for you in the future."

"Do you understand what you are saying? If you come with me, there is no guarantee you will have the opportunity to see them again."

"I'm not a child. I am well aware of the consequences of my actions."

The girl was determined, that was certain, and she did seem confident that she could be of some use to him, and what were now his people. Alucard sank into deep thought, just to shortly be brought back when Abraham emerged from his office.

"We have come to a decision. But before I give it to you, I want to see that woman personally." The hunter informed.

[Talia, have Clementine and Sarya be there when I arrive.] Alucard instructed via [Message].

"Very well. I will take you to her. And I will take you as well, Alexa. I want to be sure that you indeed can help us."

With a motion of his hand the vampire opened a [Gate]. Giving his two companions one final look he signaled them to follow him through it, which they did.

* * *

They arrived in a small, lightly decorated room, with a single window leading to the rebuilding city and a simple looking entrance. Standing near the door were Clementine and Sarya. Just like he had instructed, both women taking a bow as soon as their eyes fell on him.

"Alexa, go with Sarya. Sarya, this girl says that she can help us. Talk to her and see if she is indeed correct."

"Please, follow me." Sarya instructed, which Alexa obeyed.

Now, only Alucard, Abraham and Clementine remained. The woman kept a relatively indifferent expression, while Abraham seemed to be at the brink of closing the distance between them and attacking her.

"Do not touch her. As I said, she has her usages." Alucard reminded.

"W-What are you saying!? She is a monster, I can tell just by looking at her."

"So am I, and I don't hear you complaining."

"You are far more civilized, of that I am certain." Abraham remarked, with a weak chuckle.

"If I may say something~? I only obey Alucard-sama now.~ I won't do anything bad, I promise.~" Clementine pointed out, with what was less then a reassuring tone for Abraham.

"She speaks the truth. I already dealt with the reason that sent her to your house. That being she was manipulated by someone else. Now, no one else can influence her actions again." Alucard added.

Abraham clenched his hands, but his temper seemed to be subsiding after hearing those reassuring words from Alucard. He did not like her presence, but he did feel much safer with what he had been told now.

"Humph. Very well. Give us a couple of weeks to get ready. After that I can move my family here."

"If you need any help with the moving, I will try to give you a hand. As is we are already using most of our workforce to get the capital back in order."

"There's no need. We can handle it." Abraham informed, to which Alucard nodded back.

"Clementine, you're dismissed."

"As you wish, Alucard-sama~" She said taking a small bow, then leaving.

Several minutes later, Sarya and Alexa reentered the room, both taking small bows as they did so, the girl visibly mimicking the elf next to her. Alucard simply gave Sarya a quick look, to get her to start talking.

"It is as she told you. She can indeed help us."

"I see." The vampire said, looking at Alexa herself.

"I can handle my father. I ask only for you to please come to my house tonight, so you can bring me here."

"If that is what you wish to do, I will leave it in your hands."

Alucard then opened another portal, this one leading back to the Helsing manor. With Abraham and Alexa using it to leave, that now Alucard and Sarya were left alone in the room.

"How much can she do for us?" Alucard plainly asked.

"A considerable amount actually. She can help us bring back routes and relationships that were lost during the war. Her knowledge of the outside world is more updated than ours, so it will also serve as a great help. She even went as far as suggesting possible deals that we can make easily, but with great profit."

* * *

Night came and Alucard made his way alone to the Victoria's residence. As he did so he was surprised by what he saw near the front gate. Near the gate, sitting on the dirt floor with only a few bags next to her was indeed Alexa, with her face visibly reddened from crying.

He stopped just a few feet away from her, letting the sound of his arrival be the thing that directed her attention to him. Upon seeing him, she quickly used her hands to clean up her still tear-stained face and stumbled back to her feet.

"A-Alucard…" She half greeted, obviously distracted.

"What happened?" He asked in a low tone, helping her straighten herself up.

"M-My father did not take my plans of leaving well. We argued, a lot of things were said, and he ended up throwing me out of the house."

"A-Are you ok? Do you want me to go speak with him?" The vampire asked, visibly concerned.

"N-No… No. You don't need to do that. This just makes things easier for me."

Alucard wasn't fully convinced by her words, yet decided to play along and make the transition as smooth as it could now possibly be. The girl tried to pick up her things, an act he was quick to interrupt as he did so himself. Opening a [Gate] he placed his free hand on her back and gently moved her along. They walked Through it, and ultimately into a much more well decorated and larger room than before.

In this room a small group of male elves, looking to be of advanced age, were waiting for them. All of them took bows at the arrival of their ruler, yet all of them seemed confused when they looked upon the girl.

"M-My lord, is she…" One of them spoke, yet Alucard quickly silenced them by raising his hand.

"Is her room ready?"

"Y-Yes, we were informed of the fact just before you returned."

"Then, I will be taking her there. The meeting is postponed until she is feeling better."

"B-But…" One of the elves tried to argue, but Alucard spoke over him.

"As you can see she is not feeling well. Surely you would prefer to speak to her when she is at 100%."

"O-Of course. My apologies." All of those present replied, to show their complete understanding of his words.

"W-Wait, I-I'm feeling fine, I can…" Alexa tried to argue, but he also silenced her.

"No, you are not. I can tell that much."

"I... F-Fine." She mumbled in reply.

Not putting up any kind of a fight against his argument, Alucard led her to what would soon become her new home. And she had to admit, as he did, staring at his back, it seemed to give her great comfort, knowing her fresh start was at hand. A relieved smile decorated her lips as she felt herself relax, and the need for rest quickly settled in...


	75. Alternatives and Punishment

It was mid-morning in the Elf Country, and like most other times Alucard was helping with the rebuilding process. He had wanted to go and check up on Alexa, given her condition the night before. However, something told him to let the girl rest, and he would go check up on her later.

He was in the process of discussing the next step in the rebuilding process with a group of elves, when at the opened door someone knocked. All eyes went to the newcomer, who looked completely out of place near the group, since most of those present had showed the signs of long exposure to physical labor.

Meanwhile, Alucard was once again just wearing pants and boots, also already showing some signs of grime and dirt. The newcomer however was wearing the robes of a highly educated individual. He was an elf who looked like someone in his early 20s by human standards. His eyes were ocean blue, his blonde hair medium length, allowing his ears to emerge from under them. He was quite the looker, so much so it was almost a shame he had come to such a dirty place as this. In his hands he carried several portfolios.

The young-looking elf, quickly straightened his posture, and gave a deep bow directed towards the only person in the room who deserved it.

"It is an honor to finally meet you in person, my lord." He respectfully greeted.

"My name is Elion Aejeon. I am one of Councilor Darfin Thevalur's students, and I have been assigned to be the new assistant and secretary to the royal family." He quickly informed.

"I take it Darfin was the one that made the call?" Alucard calmly remarked, analyzing the elf.

"Y-Yes." Elion replied, unsure of what his king meant.

"I do not mean to question his judgment, but I will need to speak with him personally about this."

"O-Of course! As you wish, my lord. H-However, I fear that he is in a meeting, and from what I understood it seemed to be of some importance, so…" Elion began, when Alucard spoke over him.

"An important meeting? This is the first I've heard of anything like that." He remarked in curiosity, taking a few steps towards Elion.

The elf quickly searched through his portfolios, finally finding what he wanted. He pulled out a paper that had been quickly and sloppily written. Reading through it with amazing speed, he spoke up again.

"It seems that the young lady Alucard-sama brought yesterday, woke up early in the morning and seemed to have called upon herself enough attention that it lead to an emergency meeting. I believe that it regards our current economic and trade situation."

"She did what!?" Alucard growled in confusion while approaching the elf.

"Y-Yes. It seems she began by trying to have one of the maids call upon either you or someone who could arrange last night's meeting. H-However, since Councilor Darfin had gone to see her for himself when they met, she easily convinced him to have the said meeting take place."

"I assume the meeting is taking place in the same area it was scheduled for yesterday?" The vampire asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, my lord."

"Very well. Gentlemen. I apologize, but it seems I will have to leave for the time being." Alucard informed while looking at the others.

"O-Of course, Alucard-sama. As you wish." One of the elves remarked with a bow.

"You. With me." Alucard curtly instructed while looking at Elion.

Opening a [Gate], Alucard walked through it with the elf following closely behind him. Emerging through the other side Elion found himself in a different location than he had expected, yet he quickly understood where he was. Few people had gone to the Mines of Tartarus, and those that had naturally gave descriptions of what they had seen. That being the reason why Elion knew exactly where he was.

"Wait here." His superior instructed, before walking through one of the many doors.

* * *

Alucard let out a sigh, as he made his way to a nearby chest where they kept a supply of utility items. His eyes staggered momentarily on the mess of a bed that remained from the night before, his attention went back to the chest as he kneeled and opened it. He began to search through its contents, when his senses picked up on someone moving under the bed-sheets.

"Why are you still here, Zesshi?" He asked, still focused on the chest.

"Things are going well on my end, so I decided to take one morning off.~" She casually replied with a chuckle.

"Lucky you."

"He he he. Are you jealous?" Zesshi asked with a mischievous laugh before continuing.

"If you want, it is within my power to also give you some time off."

"Much appreciated, but I have an issue to take care of with our new assistant." Alucard informed, getting back to his feet with a scroll in his hand.

"Our new assistant?" Zesshi asked, sitting up in bed with a perked brow.

"Darfin made the call. The kid is waiting outside."

"Then, I should go and see him for myself."

Zesshi had just jumped off the bed, just for Alucard to quickly place on hand in front of her before speaking.

"You need to take a shower first, then get dressed. Remember that your image is also important."

"Oh, fine." Zesshi remarked with a pout, throwing herself back into the bed.

Alucard was about to say something else, but Zesshi was now in the process of crawling back into the sheets and vanishing from his sight. He simply shook his head at the display as he then left.

Elion was waiting in the hall, all the while looking around to take in his surroundings, when he heard light footsteps going in his direction. Looking at the source of the faint sound, he saw who was coming his way, and that was enough to get his heart beating in his chest. Before him was another one of the great heroes that had saved his home. Yet this particular individual did not fail to make people feel uneasy, even if said person was hailed as a hero. Making her way towards Elion was Clementine.

"Oh?~ And who might you be~?" The woman asked, stopping a few feet away from him.

"I-I am Elion Aejeon. The new assistant and secretary to the royal family." The elf replied while taking a deep bow.

It was the first time he had ever been so close to her, and now he had understood what many said when they talked about the feel of danger one would get next to her. It was like being next to a predator. Nevertheless, he could only bow in a show of gratitude towards one of the people who saved his home.

"How polite of you.~ Still, I must ask, why are you here~?" Clementine asked, leaning down so as to look at his still bowing face with a surprisingly friendly expression.

Elion slowly straightened his posture, and naturally prepared to give the woman an answer, when the room door opened and from within Alucard emerged. He was now wearing a long jacket to cover his upper body, and looked much cleaner then before.

As soon as the vampire emerged, the elf noted Clementine's figure straighten, well at least straighter than the one she had with him. It gave him a feel of pride to be of use to a being who inspired such respect, even in such a strange woman like Clementine.

"Alucard-sama.~" Clementine greeted with a playful bow.

"Clementine. Why are you down here?"

"I was on my way to Mathius. It seems we are in need of some extra workforce, but he is not answering any communication attempt.~"

"He must be too focused on his work. Very well. Carry on then. You, with me."

Once again Alucard opened a portal, walking through it with Elion following him closely behind. They emerged in front of a large double door, which lead to the room where the meeting was taking place. Sensing that the meeting was still in play, Alucard could only sigh as he took a seat on a bench right in front of the door, motioning Elion to do the same. The duo stayed like this for some time, until eventually Elion looked momentarily at his king, before deciding to speak.

"M-My lord. If I may ask, what are we doing here?"

"First, I am curious to see what will come out of this meeting. Second, I want to talk to Darfin about having taken it upon himself to choose our new assistant."

Elion fell back into silence, now hoping that whatever happened did not take away the massive opportunity he had grasped.

* * *

Several minutes later, both men heard the sound of the doors opening and quickly made it back to their feet, as a small group of older looking elves emerged from within the chamber. Naturally, these elves could only freeze and then bow in place at the unexpected presence of their superior. Alucard gave them a nod in acknowledgement and dismissed them, which led to one final bow from the elves as they walked away once again falling into conversation.

In the meeting room only two people remained. Darfin sat at the head of the table right in front of the vampire. To Alucard's right sitting two seats away from the councilor was Alexa who immediately fell back on to her chair at the sight of her savior.

"Alucard-sama." Darfin greeted, getting up from his seat and bowing.

As he did so, he used his left hand to motion Alexa to do the same, which she did in a more labored and forced motion. A motion that showed how new she was to a position where she stood firmly under one superior to her. One who could only be properly greeted by her lowering herself.

"Now, at ease, both of you. Elion, take a seat in front of Alexa."

Having made his will be known, Alucard closed the doors behind him. Then taking a seat on the opposite side of the table to Darfin, who himself was using the small interval to organize some hand-written notes.

"Elion informed me of this meeting. It seems it was put together with some urgency." Alucard remarked, showing slight signs of surprise, his eyes going to Alexa.

"I-I apologize if I have caused some disturbance. But when I woke up today, and remembered the people waiting for me last night, how they seemed to be expecting something from me right there… I couldn't just let them think you had brought me here for no reason. I said that I could help, and I wanted to show that as soon as possible."

"She speaks the truth, my lord. Alexa was also lucky enough to meet me and get my attention. If anyone caused a disturbance today it was me." Darfin added in her defense.

"B-But…" Alexa tried to argue, but Alucard spoke over her.

"Elion told me. When it comes to this meeting, I have no issue with this. I was worried about Alexa, given what happened last night, but from what I've seen it seems that was not an issue. Now, I ask you Darfin, is she worth it?" Alucard asked.

His question made Alexa's heart sink, along with the vampire's serious expression, part of herself was beginning to fear that if she did not deliver on what he expected, it would be over for her.

"I must admit, that I am very impressed by the knowledge she holds, and how quick and sharp witted she is." Darfin replied, to which Alucard leaned forwards in his chair wanting to know more.

"During the meeting she pointed out several ways that would allow us to once again establish ourselves as a relevant power in the commerce and trade with other nations. As you can see, I took a great deal of effort to write down basically everything she said according to these matters. I have to say, she truly is a valuable asset to our people." He added with a happy smile.

Alucard felt relieved. It wasn't like he didn't believe what Sarya had told him, or had faith in Alexa, but part of him still feared what people would think of him if he had brought in someone who was in truth useless. His line of thought interrupted when Darfin spoke up once again.

"So much so, that it got me thinking of your wish, and the Queen's wish to implement a minister-based system working under the royal family." Darfin said, his words getting the attention of all those present.

"It is my belief that this girl could take up such a position and that by doing so it would greatly benefit us…" He continued, until Alucard interrupted him.

"She could do it, but not right now?"

"Exactly, my lord. While she has the knowledge, she is still lacking in other departments. She is young, meaning she still has a lot to learn when it comes to the intricacies of working with people, listening to them, talking to them, and of convincing them. It is my belief that another should take on the role of minister of commerce and trade, while Alexa works by his side and betters herself. So, when the time comes, she can take on that role with the benefit of experience."

"You believe that she has that much potential?" The vampire asked as he leaned back on his chair.

"Of course, my lord. I would never say such things, if that was not the case."

"Alexa, do you believe that you can do as he says?" Alucard asked, looking at her.

"I-I am not sure. B-But if that is what is asked of me, I can assure you that I will not fail you, Alucard." Alexa replied, with passion filled words.

"Hm. Very well. I shall trust yours and Darfin's words, and when the time comes I will be expecting great things from you, Alexa."

Alexa gulped at this. It continued to surprise her how different he felt from the man who had rescued her and brought her back home. Still, she knew that meant very little. After all, she knew he had much more to worry about than her safety.

"Moving on. Darfin, can you explain to me why it is that you took upon yourself to choose Elion as the new assistant to the royal family?"

"It is true that I made the decision without asking or having it validated. However, I did so while knowing that it was the best possible choice that could be made." Darfin quickly replied.

"I understand how it may look, but I must ask you my lord that if any punishment is to come, please leave young Elion out of it. The fault falls only on this, all too eager to serve, old fool." He added.

Alucard was silent for a moment, his fingers slowly tapping the table as his eyes went from Darfin to Elion, and once again back to Darfin.

"Why him?"

"He is my protégé. A very bright and resourceful individual, especially at his young age. He learns and adapts quickly, and is not unfamiliar with the fast pace life necessary to assist the ruler of a country."

"You praise him highly… It is true that you went above your authority and made that decision on your own, but given what you have done so far, I cannot overlook the choice you made. And that is why I will allow Elion a month in the position. Depending on how he performs, he may or may not keep the post permanently." Alucard said.

"I-I shall do my best, my lord! I promise I will not disappoint." Elion quickly informed with determination in his voice.

"Make sure you do. Given what Darfin said, I now have high expectations for you."

"You will not be punished, Darfin. Given your services, and the rather harmless nature of what you did, nothing will come of it. But in the future, make sure that before you make any such decision, you ask if you can do it or not." The vampire stated with a subtle growl in his voice.

"Certainly. This will not happen again." Darfin replied whilst taking a bow.

"That's all I needed to hear. If there isn't anything else any of you would like to bring up, you are all dismissed."

* * *

A week had passed since that day, and now Alucard once again found himself in Ainz's office. This time it was under more pleasant circumstances, but that did not mean the time he was going to spend there would go any better. Ainz had contacted him, and it had been decided that Demiurge's punishment, for the atrocities he committed without having properly informed his superiors, should be revealed.

Entering Ainz's study, Alucard saw that they were truly alone. The Overlord was sitting on one of the sofas, getting back up when the vampire closed the door behind him.

"Welcome back, Alucard-san." Ainz said, extending his hand to his friend.

"Ainz." Alucard replied, as both shook hands.

The duo walked back to the sofas, with each one taking a seat on the different ends of one of them. Alucard leaned back letting his body relax into the extremely comfortable seat, before turning his attention to Ainz.

"So, where's Demiurge?"

"I have yet to call upon him, actually. I wanted to talk a little before that." Ainz replied, scratching his chin.

"What about? Did something else happen?" The vampire asked, which Ainz quickly dismissed.

"Not at all. I would like to ask you about the last time we met, and you punched me in the jaw." Ainz replied.

Alucard sighed, shifting himself in place, trying to find some comfortable position. However, he found himself unable to truly do so.

"I am not really going to apologize." Alucard remarked in a low tone.

"No. That has nothing to do with it. I was actually wondering more about your emotions. As you know I have lost mine for the most part. I feel nothing, unless it is related to Nazarick, or a few select group of people. Even then, most of the times those feelings are faint. If they reach a high enough threshold, they get suppressed. However, from what I've seen you have kept your emotions. Not only that, but you are still able to feel for those around you." Ainz began.

"T-That is true… If I was to put it correctly, mine have also changed. After all, as you have experienced, I have become prone to some drastic mood changes. I felt that when I punched you, I also felt that when I went out on my own after our encounter with the Lizardmen."

"That time with the Lizardmen, I should apologize. Having you go through that punishment with Shalltear…" The Overlord began, but Alucard raised his hand to silence him.

"No. You were fulfilling your role as Nazarick's ruler. And as much as I disliked it, I had to bear with it for the good of your image."

"Still, that time I might have gone too far… I also would like to talk more about what you feel when you take a life. Like I said, I feel nothing when I do it, even what I did on the Katze Plains did nothing to me. But you, you still feel something. I want to understand how. Do you think it is related to your classes, or stats?"

"Do we need to get technical with this? I really don't like to talk about classes and stats, it kills the mood…" Alucard retorted with an annoyed sigh.

"Eh? Well…" Ainz began to speak, but Alucard just chuckled.

"Just kidding. I think it may have to do with my Karma levels placing me in what you may call a moral gray area, which goes almost hand in hand with my previous self. In terms of classes… I had this [Vampire Count] class, and if my memory serves me right, it would allow the user to have certain changes in their karma values depending on several types of factors. That may explain my fluidity of emotions, reactions to input, stimuli, and the dramatic mood changes as well."

"That certainly could explain things… Then, I would like to ask you something else. This time related to the Plains and what I did there."

"I'm listening."

"What would you have done? Had Jircniv come to you and asked you to do show him your best. What would you have done in my place?" Ainz asked, his question seemingly taking all the air out of the room.

Alucard went into deep thought, as he pondered on the question and the several scenarios he could consider. For a while he was silent, until finally his hand went through his hair and he spoke.

"I surely wouldn't have done anything as flashy as you did. In my line of work something like that rarely comes about naturally, unless you want a distraction." He answered, and then paused once again for a few seconds before continuing.

"Let's see… I would have gone to the front lines alone, placing myself between the Kingdom's and the Empire's forces. All the while, my Brides would be making their way around the Kingdom's army. I would quickly pinpoint the location of the king, and any other nobles. After doing so I would inform my Brides, while I would keep my attention on the king. I would draw my sword and charge head on into them. From what I heard their forces were weak, and the only thing I would need to worry about would be Gazef. Or to be more precise, the sword he wielded. I would push my way through their forces, opening a direct line between myself and the king. If I came across Gazef, I may just use my speed to out maneuver him and continue. I would only stop when my free hand was on their ruler, and my Brides had the noble's lives in their hands." Alucard finished as he paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing.

"Now, what did I do? With minimal amounts of death, I easily got our hands around the throat of the Kingdom. It would show them and the Empire, how easily we can get to their rulers. Not only that, but if necessary I could take out the king, my Brides could take out some of the nobles, and if I am not wrong we already have someone who could take the throne if such a thing happened, correct?" Alucard asked with a grin that was equal parts predatory and mischievous as his eyes slightly glowed.

"Eh? Indeed, we do!"

"Then, if all went well, with little effort the Kingdom would be ours."

Ainz was left looking at Alucard, with what could almost be called amazement in his eyes as the red dots glowed brightly in his sockets. Truly, it did not sound like a bad plan. For all he knew, had this been used, with the king and nobles taken out, Renner could easily ascend to the throne. With the influence they had on her, the Kingdom would be theirs. He facepalmed at the thought of having possibly made so much progress in one go, but now it was too late for that.

"It seems I missed quite the opportunity then." Ainz said as he sighed.

"Well, you could have gone about it in a better way, especially with the amount of people you killed. But outside of that, you did accomplish what was asked of you and to show our strength, so it's not all bad."

"The killings are really that big of an issue, aren't they?" Ainz asked with a slight head-tilt.

"They are. I take some pride in never killing more than necessary. I also tend to make sure not to waste any possible source of information, possible agent, or collaborator. That's why I had Hilma go to Neuronist for convincing, and NOT to Kyouhukou." Alucard stated with a growl.

"Eeeh.~ That was a good decision, Alucard-san. He would have permanently damaged her. That's for sure." Ainz added, to which Alucard nodded.

"To go back on the emotions subject, I found that my current relationship with Zesshi and Talia, greatly helped improve my issues. Maybe you could also benefit from such a relationship?"

"Eh!?" Ainz exclaimed in surprise as his skeletal jaw dropped. A green light washed over him before he collected himself and did a fake cough before replying.

"I-I do not know how that could help someone in my current situation. After all, our conditions are so different."

"Still, maybe finding someone else to open up with could help you regain some of what you have lost."

"Well, when you put it like that, I believe I understand what you are saying."

"I'm sure you won't be lacking in options. Even if I would suggest you trying to find someone from outside Nazarick." Alucard pointed out.

"C-Can we please move on from this topic, Alucard-san? I really don't want to be discussing my possible romantic relationships right now." Ainz insisted, with a subtle tone of embarrassment in his voice as he turned his head away.

"Fair enough. Then, shall we call in Demiurge?" Alucard asked, his tone turning serious.

* * *

Using [Message] Ainz gave the command to the Guardian. Shortly after giving it a knock was heard at the door. A smooth knock belonging to Demiurge. Being given the order to enter, the demon did as he was told, closing the door behind him he saw his superiors sitting one on each sofa. Ainz was to his right, while Alucard was to his left.

"Welcome, Demiurge." Ainz said.

"Do you know what brought you here today?" Alucard asked.

"I do, Alucard-sama. Ainz-sama. I come here in order to repent for the terrible mistake that I have made." Demiurge replied.

"And what was this mistake, Demiurge?" Alucard asked, keeping an emotionless tone.

"I failed to properly inform the Supreme Beings of the nature of the individuals that I was using for my research. It was foolish of me to do so, as I was blinded by my belief that such details would only bother you, my lords. I also made the grave mistake of thinking that the Supreme Beings would be able to assume the nature of my subjects and experiments, from the little information I made known and how I made it known." Demiurge replied, taking a deep bow as he did so.

"Exactly. And for those mistakes, we were forced to put an end to all of your projects. That meaning of course, that with them went everything they gave us." Ainz said, as Demiurge straightened his posture.

"My greatest apologies! I, Demiurge, as your humblest of servants ask for a fitting punishment for the sins I have committed." The Guardian said.

Alucard and Ainz knew he would say this, and they had spent the time between calling upon Demiurge and him getting there, thinking of what their answer should be, but they ended up with nothing that they saw as a valid punishment. Having come up with nothing, they decided that the best way to lay a valid punishment, was to ask Demiurge what he thought should be done to him.

"Tell us, Demiurge. What do you think your punishment should be?" Ainz asked.

"I ask the Supreme Beings, to please allow me to use my own body as a source for scroll materials." Demiurge quickly replied with a determined tone.

Complete silence had descended upon Ainz's study. Neither Alucard nor Ainz had ever imagined this being a possibility. It was far from what they could have come up with, to have Demiurge mutilate himself in order to make scrolls. The two Supreme Beings could only share their looks between themselves and the NPC, who silently waited for their judgement. Even if he did this silently, his nervousness was clearly visible, and it was this detail that made Alucard worried of what may come next.

[We should say something. Or he may think we aren't satisfied with his suggestion.] Alucard stated over a silent [Message] link.

To this Ainz gave only a nod, and if he had to be honest, he was completely conflicted over the whole affair. His once suppressed emotions were thrown into chaos multiple times, necessitating the need for his limiter to kick in more than once. A detail Alucard did not fail to notice as he perked a brow at the ever present green light that flashed on again and again.

Ainz felt heavy, and hesitant. He knew this had to be done, but it felt no easier as his emotion limiter kept kicking in, and he looked upon the creation of one of his friends. Thoughts akin to, "Is this what parents go through when they must punish one of their children?", played on repeat in his mind. He saw Demiurge start to tremble and knew he could delay a reply no longer. As he hurriedly tried to organize his thoughts in his mind he spoke, and hoped to at least try to lift up the NPC's spirits with his next words...

"B-Brilliant! As expected of someone with a mind like yours, Demiurge."

"I... I am far too unworthy of such praise, Ainz-sama." Demiurge said in a rueful tone as he used his left index finger to seemingly wipe a tear from his left eye.

"Then, it is decided. Until instructed otherwise you are to use yourself as material for the making of scrolls." Ainz said, almost choking out the words as his limiter kicked in once again.

"Such a process will take place in the Frozen Prison. Neuronist and her people shall oversee the process." Alucard added.

"You are dismissed, Demiurge. You will be called upon when the time comes to begin the process." Ainz said in a low, empty tone.

"Thank you. Ainz-sama. Alucard-sama." Taking several bows, Demiurge quietly left.

There was nothing but silence in the room in the next few minutes. Not until Ainz broke that silence with a sigh, leaning back on the sofa in an almost defeated posture as he spoke up, his tone still empty.

"They are all mad."

"Far too simple minded in their loyalty..." Alucard said before continuing.

"... But by letting him choose his punishment, it does make it easy for us, and helps us save face."

"Honestly, I don't know for how much longer I will be able to do this." Ainz pointed out with a wavering voice.

"What do you mean? We still have a very long time ahead of us, so you can't give up now..." Alucard remarked with a serious expression.

Then a grin formed as he followed up on his statement.

"... And that's why I said you have to find someone. It makes this much easier." He added, to which Ainz sighed in resignation.

"L-Let's not rush things…"

"Actually, that reminds me of something!" Alucard announced, clapping his hands to snap his friend out of his melancholy and regain his focus.

"What!?" Ainz asked, as surprise broke through his tone.

"As you know, I'm together with Zesshi, but I feel that as things are, she will never be officially accepted into Nazarick by the NPCs."

"Huh!? Even if she is with you? And even if she marries you?" Ainz asked in confusion.

"She has brought up marriage several times now, but I have yet to give her a concrete answer. I worry how the NPCs' views on her could affect our future. After all, I plan on having her be superior even to me when it comes to ruling the Elf Country. And I'm not sure how some of the NPCs might react to that."

"Eeeeh~... And? Do you already have something in mind for how we can deal with this?" Ainz asked in a worried tone.

"I do." Alucard confidently replied.

"..."


	76. The Announcement

If Ainz had to be completely honest with himself, he was a bit uncomfortable with the idea. However, he did see the merits in Alucard's objective of holding a ceremony in Nazarick in order to present Zesshi as his future wife. It would show the NPCs where she truly stood, in a position equal, if not superior to theirs. Because unlike them, this was a woman who would stand on equal footing to one of the Supreme Beings.

The ceremony itself was planned to take place a few weeks after their most recent meeting, since it would have to be properly organized and there were other issues beyond it to be dealt with.

* * *

It was the night before said ceremony, as Zesshi had made her way to bed, having been given the opportunity to rest before the event. Deep down she was somewhat nervous, knowing that she would have to be very careful in how she presented herself. Of course, part of her loved the idea to rub her relationship with Alucard in front of Nazarick. She had even considered taking him in front of everyone, but not even she was impulsive enough to do so.

For now, she wanted to relax, so opening the door to her room, she expected to see Alucard and Talia in bed, and hoped they could spend a relaxing evening together in the sheets. Much to her surprise the room was empty. On the bed was a simple hand-written note, telling her not to worry and that they would be back soon. Naturally, Zesshi's mind went to the option of looking for them. However, she did not know where they could have gone, so with a frown the half-elf threw herself onto the bed.

Alucard and Talia watched as the moon was reflected off the surface of Crescent Lake in a soft beautiful light that made the atmosphere feel all the more peaceful. Alucard stood near the water while Talia was a few feet behind him unsure of what was going on.

"Talia, as you know, tomorrow will be the ceremony where I will officially announce Zesshi as my bride." Alucard began, still looking at the water.

"T-Then the time has come? A-Am I no longer wanted, Alucard-sama?" Talia asked with fear in her voice.

Her words made Alucard turn around with a worried expression on his face. It pained him to see that even after this time together her mind could still go to such thoughts so easily.

"N-No! Never! That will never happen Talia…" Alucard quickly said, still collecting his thoughts as he shook his head with a sigh.

"Even if it is the three of us, she will be my only wife. Of course, there is no reason for you to be concerned. For all intents and purposes you are like a wife, but not officially." He calmly added.

"T-There is no need to explain. I-I understand my place very well. O-Of course, I-I am more than grateful to be here as it is." Talia said in a relieved tone.

"Well, I wanted to give you something, like I will soon give Zesshi. Even if you aren't going to be my wife, you deserve this as much as she does. That is why I brought you here, because you deserve an important moment as much as she does. I... I can only apologize that it is not as grand."

"N-No! There is no need to apologize. I can only be grateful for someone like me to receive something from Alucard-sama." Talia said, visibly flustered by the situation.

"What did I say? Drop the 'sama', Talia."

As the Supreme Being spoke, he materialized a unseen item on to his hand. Closing the distance between himself and Talia, he lifted her right hand with his free left hand and placed his right on hers.

"Is t-this…" Talia gasped, feeling the shape in her hand.

"Like I said it isn't much. But in some cultures, this gesture has drastic importance and significance. Said importance is given to the item I placed in your hand."

"I-I… I-I… B-But..." Talia mumbled, visibly losing her composure.

"Now, may I put it on you?" Alucard asked, noting the tears that were beginning to roll down her cheeks.

Talia only gave him a nod, taking one step backwards while also removing the item from her hand. He went to kneel before her, an action that he felt fitting for the occasion. However, as he should have expected, Talia quickly protested against this.

"Y-You mustn't kneel! A…" She began, but he quietly spoke over her.

"I must, and I will. As I have told you before, we are no longer simply master and servant. We are lovers…"

As he spoke, he continued kneeling, so when his knee hit the floor, he was still speaking. However, his words came to a quick end when Talia went down to one knee in the same manner as him.

"T-Then w-we a-are the same. I-I am the same as Alucard… Meaning I should, no I want to, spend my life next to you. Not below, or above, but next to you." She said, using one hand to clean her tears.

"Well said, Talia." Alucard said with a proud smile.

Carefully lifting her right hand with his left, Alucard showed her the ring that rested in his right palm. It looked nothing like the majestic and priceless items that one would see in Nazarick. After all, this one was made in this new world, and the design was rather simple. Yet, Talia did not, or could not, think of anything like that. In her mind she only saw a gift from her master. Not just that, but a gift from her lover. From the man whom had accepted to spend the rest of his life with her.

She watched as her lover carefully placed the ring on her ring finger. Then together they both watched the ring shine in the moonlight. Letting go of her hand, Alucard then materialized an equal ring, and presented Talia with it.

"Now it's your turn to do the same too me." He informed.

Taking the ring from his hand, Talia copied everything Alucard had done to her, with the same kindness and delicateness as him, if not more.

"Hmm. Looks good." Alucard remarked, looking down at his hand.

"A-As if it was meant to be." Talia added with starry eyes.

Closing the rest of the distance between them, Alucard planted a soft kiss on her lips. It was tender and filled with love. She naturally did the same as they both remained there for what seemed like an eternity bound by that one kiss. Slowly they moved away from each other, and got back to their feet, Alucard holding her hand as he spoke once again.

"Would you like to stay the rest of the night out here?" Alucard asked.

"Should we not go back? Zesshi must be waiting for your return." Talia dutifully replied.

"I'm sure she can handle one night by herself. I wanted to make this night special for you." He tried to argue.

"A-And it already is.~ More than you could possibly imagine. H-However, you have a large ceremony tomorrow and should be well rested for it. That is why I believe we should both go back."

Alucard sighed, knowing that she was right. But still it continued to amaze him how she managed to be so level headed most of the times, and put everything in front of her own wishes and needs.

"Very well. Let's go back then."

Arriving in their room via [Gate], the duo was meet with the figure of Zesshi laying on the bed, with sleep having long overtaken her as she slept soundly.

"I guess this is for the better. It's been a while since she has gotten any proper rest." Alucard remarked with a kind smile.

He took his usual place on the bed, in the center, while Talia took the spot opposite to Zesshi's, which was followed by Alucard wrapping his arms around them as carefully as possible so as not to wake up the half-elf.

* * *

The rest of the night came and went rather peacefully. However, they had to wake up rather early so as to get ready for the big event. Alucard, Zesshi, and Talia were first divided into three different baths, where their bodies were properly cleansed and perfumed. After that they were brought to a large room where elves properly trained in making their rulers presentable for such events waited.

This specific ritual had not been practiced in centuries, having been dropped shortly after the beginning of Malekith's reign. This meant that they were lucky that elves who still knew and had experience with these rituals still existed. However, they had to be accompanied by less specialized individuals for extra help.

At first, Zesshi and Alucard had expected that only them would be receiving this treatment. Only in that morning did the older female elf, inform them that Talia would also be involved, since she was a critical part of their family and country. They were divided to different parts of the room, where a team of at least 10 elves took it upon themselves to make them look like real Elf Country royalty.

It felt like an eternity since they had begun and Zesshi was starting to get impatient. After all, she still lacked the proper mind-set a ruler needed to live through painfully boring and slow-moving events.

The one tirelessly braiding her hair was the same old elf that lead the entire team inside of the room. Zesshi couldn't understand why she had to go through such a tiresome process. Surely if it was such an important aspect of an elf ruler's look, there would be magic used to make such a thing quick and easy for whoever was doing it.

"Isn't there some magic to get my hair done quicker?"

Almost immediately she felt the old woman's fingers stop, along with almost the rest of the room who had listened to their Queen's inquiry. Zesshi was about to speak once more, when the old elf put her tools aside, and walked to her side, taking a small bow before speaking.

"I apologize in advance, for my behavior. And will consent to whatever punishment it might bring." She said, before pausing and taking a deep breath.

"…"

Zesshi was about to speak, but the elder spoke over her.

"But my Lady, with all due respect using magic to prepare your hair in this style would be an insult to both you and me. Indeed, magic could make it easier, however it would take away the soul of the process, as even if the style is the same no one person makes it the same twice. People like me, before Malekith, were taught very rigorously in order to do this particular hairstyle. However, when his reign started there was no longer a need for people like me. Yet now as you have said that time is over. That is why I ask of you, to please be patient and allow me, all of us, to show our devotion in the only way we can."

This time the entire room stopped, something that with the time they had left was not recommended. Yet, after what their elder had just said, they had no other way to reply to the situation, but look on in pure shock waiting for their Queen's judgment. The old elf remained with her back straight and her head lowered waiting for her superior to speak. All of those around Zesshi flinched slightly when her fists clenched, and she bit down on her lip, before speaking.

"What would have the previous ruler done?"

"It would depend on his mood. But death was a possibility." The female elf replied.

"I see… But those times are no more. No punishment will come from you having spoken your mind. I apologize for my shortsightedness and ask you to please continue."

"T-Thank you." The elder said, going back to her work.

[What have I told you about thinking before you speak?] Alucard asked via [Message] in a serious tone.

[A-And I thought about it…]

[Did you think about their side of the issue?] Alucard quickly said as Zesshi tried to reply.

[I…]

[Don't worry about it. No one gets it right on their first try, but you are getting there. That's what matters.] He chuckled as replied.

[I-I know that, i-idiot!]

On his side of the room, Alucard sighed, he guessed it was not that bad of a mistake for her to make. Yet, even he was wondering how long it would take for them to be ready, it wasn't like he couldn't wait for hours on end. It was just that he didn't like to do so.

* * *

While this was going on, Nazarick was just finishing up with the preparations for the event. Outside of decorations, almost every high-leveled NPC was summoned to the Throne Room. For those that could not be present, arrangements were made so that they could see the event from their posts via magic.

Ainz himself had just taken a seat upon his throne, him briefly looking to his empty side as for the time being Albedo was kneeling with the others. His attention then went to Touka and Nyx who had just a few moments ago came to join the NPCs. He was aware that Talia would be arriving with Alucard and Zesshi. Naturally, among the Guardians was Demiurge, having been freed from his punishment and healed just for the occasion.

[We just got to Nazarick. We will be entering the Throne Room in a minute. Remember what we planned.] Alucard informed, via [Message].

[Alright, Alucard-san. I'm ready.]

[Right. Then, here goes nothing.]

The call ended, and the double doors to the chamber opened. Alucard walked through them, before taking a step to the side so Zesshi would follow him. Both of them wore similar outfits, they were colored several shades of green, decorated with intricate floral patterns. Their royal garments had long sleeves and draped down to the floor hiding their feet. Unlike what one would expect of a ruler, neither of them wore a crown or any other kind of headpiece. Instead, their hair had been masterfully shaped by centuries of knowledge applied via very capable hands.

Along with how their hair was shaped, small flower shaped ornaments were woven into their braids. On their faces, and the rest of their body, several shapes and elven lettering had been painted, using light colors which were applied by hands as equally skilled as those that had handled their hair and clothes.

It made for a very elegant and exotic display. However, not even this was free from the brief scrutiny and disapproval from many of the NPCs present. Of course, such negative feelings were brief, since one of the Supreme Beings themselves was donning it. Still, in their minds it was far too inferior to what he deserved.

[Isn't this a bit much, Alucard-san?] Ainz asked in shock.

[Well… Zesshi wanted to have something appropriate to their culture. But what we didn't mention was that these are usually worn for marriages. I don't think she would have gone ahead if she knew it.] Alucard replied as he chuckled.

[B-But this isn't a marriage. Is it?]

[No, not at all. Not yet anyway. She wants to do it back in the Elf Country.]

Alucard and Zesshi calmly made their way to the throne, with Talia following close behind them. She was also wearing traditional elf wear, but much more simplified, lacking the paint and elaborate braids. At a certain point, Talia stopped following them and joined her sister's in the large crowd of NPCs.

Finally, the duo stopped just a few feet away from Ainz, who replied by getting up from his throne and placed himself between the two, so that they were looking at him, and he was looking at the NPCs.

"As all of those in Nazarick know, today we take another step towards our goals. It may seem like a minor step, but I tell you all that it is not. To my left you will see Zesshi Zetsumei, originally an outsider to Nazarick. She began as an enemy, who was defeated, and like many others allowed entrance into Nazarick. This is something we will see happening in the future more frequently. No longer will we be able to stay here hidden from the world, as our goals will not allow it, and I will not allow it." Ainz firmly began.

"More and more will we need to interact with outsiders and treat them, not as inferior beings, but as beings that can be of use to us, beings that can help us, and beings that one day stand by our side to help us further our goals. They will walk with us. They will talk with us. They will fight with us. And, at some point something beyond kinship, or friendship, will rise. That is what today is about."

At this Ainz took a few steps back, so he was no longer in between Alucard and Zesshi. Having stopped his movements he continued speaking.

"I believe, this is not something to be hated or feared. This is simply the unavoidable process of change that will happen sooner or later. What I ask, is that all of you put your feelings aside and understand that in the future contact with other people, no matter the race, will happen, and we must do our best to accept them and take them in. If we fail at this, we will fail our goals, and bring upon us the hatred of the world that surrounds us. Should this happen, only disaster will follow." He continued, pausing before looking at Alucard.

"I now pass on the word to you, Alucard." He announced, falling back into his throne.

"Thank you." Alucard remarked, giving the Overlord a nod as he took Zesshi's hand.

* * *

"I will not be adding anything to what was already said. But I will only reinforce what was said about how crucial having an open mind is in order for us to further our goals. Not only that, but for us to simply exist in this world. Understand that this is not a case of invaders walking on to our territory. We are the invaders, and we cannot afford to create unnecessary enemies. Not when we know so little about this world." He said with conviction in his voice, before giving a small nod.

"Going to why we are here. This is Zesshi Zetsumei, the same woman who was brought to Nazarick after a battle with me. The same that left Nazarick along with me, and the one I helped in taking the Elf Country from her father's hands. I now, come before all of Nazarick, to announce that she is to be my wife."

There was no gasp or audible reaction, but Alucard, Ainz, and Zesshi could see brief exchange of looks between some of the servants. None of the guardians seemed to be bothered, probably because most of them already knew about it. The reactions came from those on lower ranks, that would naturally not be aware of this.

"Does anyone have anything to say? If so, they are free to do so."

To this Albedo lifted her hand, signaling her intention to speak, which was granted by a simple motion from Alucard.

"Alucard-sama, I believe everyone would want to know why you would have chosen someone like her as your wife." Albedo said in a respectful tone, that hid the hint of disapproval in her eyes.

"…"

Zesshi was about to growl something, but Alucard quickly spoke over her.

"A valid question. The answer is easy, I chose her because she is one of the women I love, and want to have on my side for the rest of eternity. It has nothing to do with where she came from, or if she is above or below me. That is what I want all of you to understand. This relationship has nothing to do with her being my pet, my toy, my slave, my servant, or plaything. She is someone I view as an equal." Alucard informed.

He surveyed the crowd and his words seemed to have eliminated the reactions he had seen before. Yet he could not be sure that was the case, since they would accept the decision of a Supreme Being. That being said, Alucard knew he had to take it the next level as he was about to do, when he looked down into Zesshi's eyes.

Alucard materialized two rings in his hands, looking around for a brief moment, he took one step back and proceeded to kneel down before Zesshi, before the outsider. This action alone was enough to warrant some audible reactions from the servants, who quickly silenced themselves.

Zesshi looked visibly flustered as her lover warmly took a hold of her right hand, lifting it so he could place one of the rings on her. Having placed the ring on her finger, Alucard looked at it for a brief moment, followed by kissing it and making his way back to his feet, before handing the other ring to Zesshi.

"Now it's your turn." He mumbled.

The half-elf gave him a quick nod, taking a hold of his right hand, she lifted it and carefully placed it on his finger, following this with a similar kiss to his. To this, she got a muffled chuckle, which told her that the kissing the ring part wasn't really necessary.

"I take it that you accept then?" Alucard asked, in a tone that made it seem like he had forgotten where he was.

"Would you have expected anything else?" Zesshi remarked, with a mischievous tone and smile.

[I want to jump you so bad right now.] Zesshi informed, via [Message].

[K-Keep that to yourself. At least till we get home.]

[But…]

Zesshi's words were cut, as Alucard closed the distance between them, took the half-elf in his arms, and planted a deep passionate kiss on her lips. Zesshi was quick to act, wrapping her arms around his neck, pushing him even closer to herself, all the while their tongues struggled in a passionate encounter.

[A-Alucard-san, perhaps you want to reel it back.] Ainz commented via [Message].

[S-Sorry.]

Still having enough a hold to know where he was, Alucard abruptly stopped the heated exchange and placed Zesshi back on the ground, taking a step back in the process. This earned him a disappointed look from her, but he would have to live with it, knowing that now was not the time to get lost in passion.

"Is there anything you would like to say?" Alucard asked her.

Zesshi looked at him, then turned to the crowd, she spent some time overseeing it, her eyes paying more attention to the women, to those she in a sense had defeated, not counting Talia.

"I care little for what your hierarchy is. I care little for where I stand in it. What I care about is that I now stand next to Alucard…" Zesshi paused, as something came to her.

"Should I say it, or do you want to do it?" She asked with a smirk.

"I-I'll say it. Everyone listen." Alucard said, making sure that all eyes were on him.

"It is true that the rings we now wear are a symbol of our bond. However, there is something else. Once we are married, I will officially change my name, to Alucard Zetsumei."

The denizens of Nazarick collectively gasped in shock at the proclamation. A Supreme Being taking on the name of an outsider? The concept made it abundantly clear that Alucard was more than serious, and in an instant all their expressions changed as they looked at Zesshi in a more positive light.

In the crowd Talia bit down on her lip upon hearing this, which got both Touka and Nyx's attention, which surprised them since they had assumed Talia knew of this, even if they didn't.

"Didn't you know?" Touka quietly asked in concern.

"I-I knew."

"Then, what's wrong?"

"I-I wish I also had a name to share with Alucard-sama."

"You also want Zesshi's name?" Touka asked.

"No."

For a moment there was silence between them, until Nyx's head lifted up as an idea came to mind, which she quickly and quietly shared with her older sister.

"But there is a name you can share with him." She pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" Touka asked with a confused head-tilt.

"The 'other' name. Briefs."

Talia's eyes widened, as it all seemed to become clear in her mind. It was almost like fate that she who was based on a woman Alucard loved when he was human, was to share the same name as that version of his beloved.

"Nyx. Thank you." Talia said in gratitude.

"Would you like to say anything else, Zesshi?" Alucard asked in a formal manner.

"Outside of what I have already said, I hope that whatever happens we are all able to co-exist." She said, taking a small bow towards the crowd.

"I, Albedo, as the overseer of the Guardians, and representative of those who serve the Supreme Beings, assure that we will uphold Alucard-sama's decisions and treat you, his future wife, as you deserve to be treated.~" Albedo gracefully said.

Alucard looked upon her and saw all traces of disapproval were gone as if they never existed. Instead, he perked a brow as he saw a tinge of what he could have sworn was... envy? He closed his eyes and nodded as he banished such thoughts from his mind, and replied to the Guardian Overseer.

"Thank you, Albedo."

"I am unworthy of such words, Alucard-sama."

"Very good. Is there anything anyone would like to add?" Ainz asked, getting up from his throne.

"No." Alucard replied.

"Then, let us move on. For today we celebrate your union." Ainz announced with an appropriately grandiose tone.

The Overlord spoke the truth, as during the rest of the day the entirety of Nazarick was bathed in a raging festival. All of it dedicated to the union of one of the Supreme Beings with an inhabitant of this new world.

So grandiose was this party that no single floor could contain it, and it naturally took up most of Nazarick. So much so that during that day not much was done in terms of any real work. It could have gone on for weeks or even months with little to not pauses, yet it was only limited to this one day, since only the wedding itself would justify weeks or months of partying.

* * *

The event came to an end already late into the night, having said their goodbyes, Alucard, Zesshi, and his Brides left for Elf Country. While Nyx and Touka were free to go about their business, the other three had to go through the reverse process they had undergone before leaving for the event.

Only after going through such a process, and now wearing simple underwear and robes, did the trio finally managed to reach their bedroom. Zesshi quickly ran to the bed jumping on to it and letting her body sink into it with a relieved sigh. Alucard on the other hand was focused on Talia who seemed to be somewhat distant.

"Is there something wrong, Talia?" He asked.

"N-No. But, I would like to ask something."

"You know you don't have to ask. I'm always here to listen to what you have to say." Alucard remarked, taking a seat on the bed.

"T-Thank you. I-I wish to also share a name with you…" She paused briefly, before continuing.

"Please allow me to share the name 'Briefs'!" She said pleadingly, taking a deep bow.

"W-What did you say?" Zesshi asked, stunned by Talia's words.

"Heh. It would be fitting wouldn't it?" Alucard said in a somber tone.

"I-I believe so, too." The Bride replied, still bowing.

"Then rise... Talia Briefs. As I have told you, there is no reason for you to bow before me. We are equals after all." Alucard said.

Talia said nothing, instead opting to throw herself into her lover's arms, resulting in both of them falling on to the bed, tears already falling freely from her eyes.

"Aren't you the emotional one…~" Zesshi mumbled with a smirk.

"Zesshi, be nice." Alucard remarked.

"I'm nice!" she growled back, sitting up in bed.

"So, should we make a night of it?" She asked, with a perverted expression.

"I don't know. Tell me, Miss Briefs. Should we make a night of it?" Alucard asked, looking at Talia who was already straddling him.

"I-If that is your wish. I am always willing to fulfill it."

"Sounds good. Now, let's get started." Zesshi announced, joining the duo.

This acceptance was indeed a big step for Nazarick. So much so, that when after 100 years, the Sorcerer Kingdom would continue to prosper and grow, covering the entirety of the continent. All throughout, Alucard would be involved in these efforts, with Talia and Zesshi ever at his side. The form that this expanded Sorcerer Kingdom would take, would be something worthy of praise, fear, and envy in equal measure...

* * *

 **Author's Note: I normally don't do these, but I now find it necessary. This is because the next chapter of "Blood Trail of Alucard", will be the last, and as is mentioned above it will take place 100 years after these events.**

 **At first I was considering to have this be one large chapter, but then I opted to place the time-skip related things in another chapter, so as to warn the reader that this story will be coming to an end.**


	77. The End

It was only a month after Alucard and Zesshi were crowned as the rulers of Elf Country, and the territory they ruled over was officially annexed by the Sorcerer Kingdom, with its capital being made as a sort of the "second capital" of the Kingdom.

Having taken over the elves' territory, Alucard and Ainz put into use the strategy they had come up with in order to, step by step, take over the entire continent. They would start with sending people to the territory they wished to conquer, in order to gain information on them and their culture. Once this phase was complete, they would send a group of ambassadors and military muscle, to convince the other side to join them.

The military force would be composed of various types of Nazarick Guarders, while the diplomats would mostly be people educated on the subjects. Of course, some behind the scenes manipulations would also take place from time to time. The wanted result with this, was to offer a deal that would make the other side join them, and only if necessary would brute force be used to subjugate the new territory.

However, they decided that only in the worst-case scenario, would they deploy high leveled summons or NPCs. The same applied for magic. This was to make sure the same thing that happened at the Katze Plains would never happen again, since word of that event had quickly spread.

The new territories would then be affected by new taxes, which would cover for the continued protection as a member of the Sorcerer Kingdom, and a sign of the mutual agreement between them. Some laws would be changed or outright removed, like those that allowed for slavery, while others would be added, like those that secured equality for humans and demi-humans alike. The new territory would in change for their devotion, controlled access to the resources of the Kingdom and protection from any outside attack.

Using variations of this strategy, and the "fame" gained from what happened in the battle in the Katze Plains, and Alucard taking down the Elf King, the Sorcerer Kingdom managed to expand to the territories that surrounded it. They met their first obstacle in the Theocracy, who because of the culture, that had been cultivated for generations, was not that open to accepting an undead ruler, even if doing so would gain them several benefits. Religious zealotry often overrode logic and sense.

These issues did not come from just the Cardinals themselves, who after some careful deliberation, and careful manipulations through the covert use of magic, had accepted being subjugated by Ainz. Since they were had to "recognize" the benefits they could draw from it. Instead came from the people themselves. In order to change their minds, it took the careful studying of the "Six Great Gods", and the necessary theatrics to have tricked the population into accepting this new change and their new Overlords.

The theatrics used involved drawing attention to the fact that Ainz somewhat resembled their "God of Death", whom was known to have been able to control life and death. Of course, there were those who decried that as "blasphemy". The next step was to have Ainz heal and resurrect the poor and downtrodden. Despite being an undead, this made inroads to swaying even the most stubborn of individuals.

Even when that failed, through the careful use of items, and the Super-Tier spell, [Pantheon] to summon angels, the effect was what most would have underestimated, and several Ainz worshiping cults began to appear. Of course, Alucard expected that this would have caused unrest, and if ignored, outright civil war, so those that could not be swayed through words, deeds, greed, theatrics, and/or censure from their own, were again swayed via magic to manipulate them, much like the leadership.

Though some would have decried such methods, it all but avoided open war in the center of the continent, whether it be civil war, or external. Despite the Theocracy's questionable nature and practices, if the national known to many as the "Guardians of Mankind", could be swayed to join the Sorcerer Kingdom, then it would act as a means to sway others as well.

Another interesting situation was that of the Argland Council State who was known for possessing great power. Yet Alucard and Ainz had nothing specific on how much power and what a possible conflict would do to both sides. Taking this, and a rather similar view on demi-humans, for the first time since the beginning of their campaign the representatives of the Sorcerer Kingdom sat down with the rulers of another nation, and did not seem to possess a concrete upper hand.

Alucard and Ainz were also well aware of the armed neutrality of the State, which meant that whatever happened outside, it they would not get involved. The duo had discussed this to a great extent before the meeting, and they had dismissed simply ignoring the territory because it went against their goals to unite all under one flag.

So, what they proposed in the meeting was an accord, in which the Argland Council State would remain as it was. However would be open to serving as neutral ground for the Sorcerer Kingdom. This would mean that they would be part of the Kingdom, yet be given much greater freedom than any other territory. The decision took several days to make, but in the end the Dragon Councillors agreed to the terms presented by Ainz and Alucard. This treaty drawn up by Alucard himself would come to be known as the, "Switzerland Accords".

While they worked towards their goals, other things were being developed. The Sorcerer Kingdom worked towards demi-human equality across all territories, they paved roads, and bettered living conditions for all. Several centers began to be raised in order to take in the homeless, the orphans, and all others who society had put aside.

In military terms, undead were used in great numbers, yet these had weaknesses the enemy could exploit. This was the view held by Alucard, who made it a point to expand on what elven soldiers learned, and give the already existing ones further training, so they would be more flexible in combat like he was. He also trained several handpicked individuals in the same way he was trained, so they could do the things he did, and from this group of individuals he founded Black Hound unit. The elites of Elf Country.

* * *

Having annexed everything around them, they began to expand into unknown territory, using the strategy they had decided upon in the beginning of the process. Everything went rather smoothly, until 10 years in, when they reached the Great Centaur Empire on the eastern edges of the continent, which was said to be the home of their gods of war and combat.

This name came from the fact the Empire was home to a race of centaurs and similar beings who were unmatched in acts of war, having never known defeat. The inhabitants of this territory had the lower body of horses, tanned, and athletic upper bodies, dark hair and two small sharp teeth emerging from their lower jaws.

They deployed mostly brute force based offense and defense, yet among them were those whose strategies guaranteed an effective use of their strengths and by extension complete control when it came to direct combat. They had few magic users among them, but those that existed, much like the rest of their kin were incredibly powerful.

This came from the fact, that on average, their standard soldiers could match mid to top tier adventurers easily, with the elites of their people matching top tier adventurers and above. There were even some, like their rulers, who could have easily dispatched the likes of Gazef Stronoff of Re-Estize, and Martial Lord Go Gin of the Baharuth Empire.

A strategy deployed by them when the situation seemed to put at risk their soldiers, or their bulk made it impossible for them to achieve a wanted result, was to deploy battle slaves. These were individuals from several other races, who were normally overseen by a top ranked centaur, and deployed in battle when necessary.

Even knowing this, the Sorcerer Kingdom followed their usual strategy. However, this only resulted in the deaths of all those sent, outside of one diplomat who was sent back with a declaration of war.

It was obvious that the Great Centaur Empire had an over-inflated ego, and this would lead to their ultimate downfall. Accepting the declaration an attempt was made to contact the centaurs once again, in order to determine rules that their conflict should follow, so as to not give origin to any atrocities. However, even this attempt was greeted with violence, and an unshakable belief of their victory.

Along with these events other things happened around the same time. The first was the birth of Alucard and Zesshi's first child, whom he named Netero Zetsumei. The second was Alucard turning Clementine into a vampire, an act brought about by her growing fear of age and death, which in her mind would take her away from the fun she was having.

The first clashes between the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Great Centaur Empire, were fought between undead and centaur. It was a shock, for the Kingdom when their enemy not only managed to match the undead but, in many cases, push them back and achieve victory. A couple of other attempts were made using only undead, and the results were the same, which raised some concerns for Ainz.

While they didn't stop using Ainz's undead, Alucard had for the first time deployed his own forces into battle. The centaurs were met by the combined strength of undead, newly trained elf soldiers, and Mathius's creations, or as the centaurs called them "abominations". Brain, Lottus, and the newly turned vampire Clementine also took part in the battles. Alucard and his Brides also went to the front lines, but they were only supervising, having never actually taken part in the combat, even if many centaurs whispered things about the black wearing figures that watched over the battlefield.

The effects of this new approach were almost immediately felt as the intelligent and self-functioning soldiers deployed by Alucard began to outsmart and outmaneuver the centaurs. Even so, the so called "gods of war" did well to use their strength, experience and slaves against these new factors. It was during this conflict that Brain received the title of "Blue Flash", given his incredible speed, which allowed him to take out several enemies at a time.

While Clementine earned the title of "Crimson Gardener", for her newly acquired habit of impaling her dead enemies, who given the nature of a centaur almost made them look like fully bloomed flowers after being impaled. Lottus played a minimal role, mostly being part of the teams sent in after the battle, who looked for any survivors and cleaned out the dead. Of course, even he from time to time had to use his power, his role gaining him the title of, "Black Vulture".

During this conflict another unique event took place, as with both Alucard and Ainz's approval, and knowing that the situation was perfect, Mathius was allowed to deploy onto the field one of his spore carriers. So, instead of sending a group to deal with the centaur occupying an abandoned village, one of these undead was unleashed upon it, having met a quick end in the process.

Yet, this was the intended result, as with the weather conditions and wind at the time, the creature's spores were freed and spread around the village, infecting all of the centaurs. Soon enough, they were converted into undead by the infection. With the success of the experiment, a team equipped with items and masks to protect them from the remaining spores, cleaned the area which meant its complete sterilization and the incineration of much of the village.

The end of the conflict did not come via a military defeat, since as the battles were going on, the Sorcerer Kingdom had come into contact with the Emperor's oldest child who would inherit the throne when his father died. The future successor had agreed to give into the Sorcerer Kingdom, and take them up on their original deal, if his father was taken out.

The duty of making this happen fell on the Black Hound unit who, via the use of [Gate] from an item placed in the Emperor's chambers, managed to infiltrate the room, and by taking him by surprise assassinated him. Shortly after, his oldest child took his place, and the Great Centaur Empire bent knee to the Sorcerer Kingdom.

* * *

About a year after this, a miracle happened when Alucard was gifted with his first, and so far only child with Talia. A daughter named Lydia Briefs. The name came from Alucard, since Talia found herself unable to name the child from someone like Alucard. This meant it fell on him to name the child. Said name having come from a conversation he had had long ago with the human Talia was based upon, and him remembering her having a particular liking for that name.

Ainz romantic life was less active than Alucard's, but with time he began a relationship with Shalltear, which eventually involved them trying to have children, which of course failed miserably. Shalltear eventually spoke with Zesshi about the subject, since both had formed a friendship which had started with their mutual roles as the mates of a Supreme Being.

This friendship flourished, even more so when Shalltear's extensive knowledge in the field of perversion made a good match for Zesshi, who wanted to increase her own knowledge, and apply it to the bedroom with Alucard and Talia. What Shalltear learned from Zesshi, is that Alucard and Talia only managed to conceive a child, because of both consuming her blood with some frequency. Blood that was infused with the powers of life she wielded as a Godkin, via her golden aura. This gave the two undead the ability to create new life, which with time would grow at a similar pace as the one Alucard had with Zesshi.

With this Shalltear knew her chances of having a child with Ainz were nill. However, one night Ainz announced that he would be having a child, which surprised Shalltear who knew nothing about it. Said child would be with Albedo, the name of which being Willow Ooal Gown. What followed was also rather unexpected, as Shalltear left Ainz's presence without having been given permission and vanished.

She would reappear in Mathius's lab, having gone on a small rampage, which was brought to an end by Alucard who managed to calm her down, and get her to explain what happened, and what had brought her there. Shalltear, having learned of Mathius's ability to create beings from others, wanted him to create a child for her.

This naturally brought about some issues, which justified Alucard calling upon Ainz to better understand the situation. It turned out in a moment where his humanity went above his undead side, Ainz had had a moment of weakness with Albedo, resulting in her pregnancy. Apparently, as a succubus, she could take in the powers and energies of a mate, and use that as a base to create a life within herself. Much like what happened with Mathius and his wife.

After a long and complex discussion, Mathius was given permission to create a sentient being based upon Shalltear and Ainz, along with some extra components and DNA he used without anyone knowing. From this a "normal" child resulted, named Zeke Ooal Gown, which Shalltear took care of with unexpected responsibility, which was fueled by her newly found motherly instincts, and wish to show herself as better than Albedo. Who much like Shalltear would become Ainz's wife.

Twenty years into their conquering process, Integra Van Helsing had her first and only child, who she named Alexander Helsing. Who as he grew up, even after receiving training from his mother, took on a more administrative role, and unlike all other Helsings before him had more than one child.

His wife was, much like Shalltear's child, created by Mathius. Alexander's goal being to have a mate who would give him strong children in order to strengthen his weakening bloodline. While his mother did nothing towards this goal, since she seemed rather accepting of their fate. Alexander wanted to stop it, and since his mother did not allow Mathius to work on their genes directly, he went about it through other methods.

Alexander turned out to be a brilliant, cultured, and sophisticated man, and probably the most openly well liked of his family line. He walked among the highest ranks of society, even if his family for generations had mostly stood clear of such people. He was a master of several subjects, even doing some studies under Mathius. However, there were many that compared him unfavorably to the woman once known as the Golden Princess, yet none thought much of it.

Then, when he was 50, he was accused and found guilty of several murders going as far as 30 years back. Alexander seemed little bothered about this. So much so he didn't try to escape, and even openly admitted to the acts when confronted. It was somewhat awkward for all of those involved, to see him so calm about his current situation, yet during several interrogations they learned that he was expecting this.

So much so, that he had worked towards gaining wealth and had acquired his wife, with the goal of allowing his family name to live on even if his actions were found out. Having succeeded in this, Alexander seemed little worried about spending the rest of his life in prison. That was outside of some worries related to his mother.

* * *

Fifty years into their conquest of the continent, the Sorcerer Kingdom came across a small Kingdom in the middle of some mountains, named Makam Kingdom. They had already acquired some information on it, especially the being that worked as their high priestess, and whose power was equal if not greater to the kingdom's rulers.

This being was referred to as "Lady Death", which was also the name her people used to address her by. She was said to be able to take out armies with a simple motion of her hand. Knowing this, Ainz and Alucard knew they could not risk anything going down, even if their first approach was the same as always.

Negotiations went well enough, outside of the fact Lady Death, who was described as wearing clothes fit for a funeral, destroyed all of the undead present with a simple motion and that she, and by extension her people, rejected their deal unless she could speak directly with their rulers. After some deliberation, Ainz and Alucard accepted this offer taking the necessary precautions in case her intentions were hostile.

Luckily that wasn't the case, as they met Lady Death, or Hisada Ezri Ni'Jill, in the Makam Kingdom's main temple. They had learned that this specific society followed a religion which placed great emphasis on death, and had as the main figure its representative, which they believed Hisada embodied. She had accepted this belief, and during her 500 years of existence had lived this role. They had also learned that the "blind" man Alucard had come across that could see his true nature, originated from this region, so much so Lady Death also had them.

They quickly learned of her dislike for undead, as they were restless souls, which for someone like her created annoyance and discomfort. However, this did not affect her in any drastic manner. It only meant she would prefer not having many undead around her people when they became part of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Since her people also held rather negative views towards them, mostly because of their religious beliefs, said views also extended towards most cases of resurrection.

During the course of the meeting, she seemed rather taken with Alucard, as that she saw in him a soul mature enough to give an ancient being such as herself an interesting mate. All others she couldn't help but seeing as children, both at a physical and mental level, this also included Ainz.

Lady Death seemed rather open to accepting their deal, as long as the undead in her Kingdom were kept to a minimum. However, she presented another condition that must be met in order for her to accept. She wanted Alucard as her mate. She argued this with her 500 years of solitude and the fact that she found him interesting, that even with his relatively young age, he had a mature soul and she saw in it the possibility for an actual, interesting, relationship.

Ainz had considered not accepting such ridiculous terms, but she in no way hid that if they didn't accept then if needed she would turn violent. This threat truly frightened him, since she had a massive presence to her, and her ability to all but annihilate even an undead like himself with a power still unknown to them was a worry.

Luckily, Alucard accepted the deal. It was necessary in order to keep things as peaceful as possible, even it it was a classic case of being entangled in a web of his own good intentions. Still, the fact she wasn't that bad looking and seemed to be a decent person, made the decision easier. Having accepted her deal, they found her more than willing to accept theirs, and even help them if needed.

Naturally, Zesshi and Talia were not at all pleased. Upon hearing his explanation, Talia understood his reasoning, even if deep down she did not like it, while Zesshi did not share her rational mind, and never really accepted this arrangement.

Upon more interactions with "Lady Death", they learned that she was in fact the daughter of an Overlord player and a human female that, much like Draudillon Oriculus of the Dragon Kingdom, had the blood of a Dragon Lord, giving her some measure of power over the rare school of [Wild Magic]. A union had been made possible via the item [Ring of False-Life], which gave him a human body. Both Ainz and Alucard were actually quite familiar with the item in question.

It allowed an undead player to take on a human appearance and body structure to fool lower leveled players, since PKing undead and other inhuman players was quite prevalent. However, the use of detection skills above lvl-40 rendered this item useless in the game, and by the time Ainz actually got his hands on a few, he was already well above that level. So, when the Guild of Ainz Ooal Gown had conquered Nazarick, the "joke items" were promptly fed to the treasury's [Exchange Box] for gold coins.

The said item was later gifted to Ainz as a showing of good will. Her mother having died during her birth, and her father who even when a human did not possess a stable mind, had some time later ended his own life because of grief, and a misplaced sense of guilt as he blamed himself for not having resurrection items with him, having gotten rid of most of his stock near the "end" of YGGDRASIL.

What Alucard also learned was that her powers were very similar to Kaia's. Of course, he never mentioned this to Ainz since he had never explained Kaia's true nature to his friend to begin with. Unlike Kaia, Hisada feed on souls and had learned to control her hunger by maintaining inside of her a large number of souls, to use as food and energy supply, slowly feeding upon them so as to not affect those around her. Through this he also figured out that with the amount of souls inside of her, she probably could become a real threat if provoked.

* * *

As the years went by, Alexa found love in an elf, which gave her a child who when she retired didn't take long to take his mother's place. Sarya who had an unconfessed love for Alucard, ended up finding a "replacement" in one of the members of Black Hound, as she kept aiding with several humanitarian clauses. She normally aided Azrael, since the former Elite now openly aided those in need. Most especially orphans and women in need of help.

Nyx continued her role as Alucard's Bride, now also helping in military operations when needed, or whenever her healing abilities were required. She formed also formed a relationship with Mare, her interest for him having turned romantic, and luckily, he felt the same about her as he grew up into more of a man, and less of a "trap", that his creator had originally made. However, as he grew older and his body changed, deep down she began to worry that he would eventually lose interest in her child like form.

Touka, in the long run, was not as fortunate. Having formed and maintained a good relationship with Brain, they never got married, or had children since an excuse always came up. Brain never wanted to be turned into a vampire, or be turned ageless, like the rulers of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Renner and Climb. So, 70 years after the beginning of the conquest of the continent, Brain died in his sleep from old age, leaving behind a heart broken Touka. Who even 30 years after had not fully recovered. Such things became evident because of her changed personality, the blue braid on her hair, and the katana she carried with her. The one that Brain once wielded.

Kaia, had made the best she could from the new world she was thrown into. So much so, that she eventually caught the eye of Alucard's son, Netero. Who even being a ladies man, after meeting her, did his best and succeeded in taking her hand in marriage. Also, thanks to Mathius a ring was created to keep her fed, and make touching her safe for others. The creation of this item being necessary since others of similar nature ended up failing, and needing to be replaced.

Lottus, with the aid of Mathius, was able to evolve beyond the status of an Elder Lich, reaching the rank of Overlord. Outside of this, he did little outside of studying and aiding his rulers. Clementine also led a rather lonely life, being content with her role as Alucard's faithful "attack dog". She became known by her sex fueled rampages during some nights, these helping her not fall to any murderous urges. Clementine however, went one step beyond in her attempt to better serve her master.

This attempt took form in her willingly going through surgery so that Mathius could implant one of his newly created cores into her. The surgery was a success, and after a few days of agonizing pain that she would have never expected to feel after becoming a vampire, the core successfully integrated with her body. This meant that after the procedure as long as a large enough piece of her is left, Clementine will fully regenerate, it also gave her some boosts in terms of speed, strength and reflexes. A similar core would also be implanted into what would be Shalltear and Ainz's son.

* * *

Ninety-five years into their conquest, Alucard was gifted with twins by Zesshi. A boy and a girl named Arthur and Artoria, respectively. Finally, after 100 years, only one territory remained, and it was occupied by the Arachne. Beings with the lower half of spiders and humanoid upper bodies, whose size could go from slightly under a centaur, to just over that, to either double or even triple the size. Theirs is a society ruled by the largest of the females, the matriarch, with the smaller individuals, the males, being used for either mating or mostly physical labor.

The main street of the elven capital found itself surrounded by people, on each side were massive crowds of elves and other races. From the windows of nearby buildings many others also watched on with great anticipation. At the base of the street was a massive portal, from where their King and his soldiers would emerge from and deliver to them the results of their conquest of the Arachne people.

From the portal, finally, emerged the first individual, his appearance drawing every eye and several cheers and welcoming words. This being the only greeting their King deserved. Alucard emerged from the portal on foot. For this final conquest no horses had been needed, and even if they were he preferred to walk just like his subjects did. His hair was braided into a long ponytail, wearing his usual black armor just with his hood down so his face could be seen.

Alucard stopped in front of the portal, taking in his subjects, his people, who would not cheer in victory until he said so. They had learned this from years of experience, they knew that even their great rulers, who were seen as gods in the eyes of many, could sometimes suffer defeat. Such a thing was proven by the Great Centaur Empire, and it was something Alucard approved of, since worship was something he wanted to avoid. So, they watched on with loud anticipation, for their King to tell them of their victory. There was no need for words, just a gesture.

This gesture came when Alucard lifted his closed right hand in the air. Such a simple motion alone caused the crowd to roar out with even more energy than his greeting. Not letting his arm down, Alucard began to walk away from the portal and in the direction of the Citadel, and as he walked others emerged from the portal.

The first to walk out was Netero Zetsumei, a slightly pale skinned individual with short and spiky black hair, with the same eyes as his mother, an athletic and well-built body, and standing slightly shorter than his father. His features were that of a man in his late 20s, which easily hid his true age. He wore an armor very similar to his father's.

Unlike his father, who had the role of signaling their victory and full conquest of the continent with the people, Netero used this opportunity to wave, smile charmingly, greet some of the common folk and even kiss a few babies. Netero was extremely well liked by all, being a very charming and social individual, who took part in many social events, and had much success with the ruler of the Kingdom's other territories. Many saw him as the perfect successor for his parents, whenever that time came.

Almost as soon as he appeared, Lydia Briefs also emerged. She looked like someone in her early 20s, with long silver hair which was held in a ponytail, crimson eyes, and pale skin. She wore a similar armor to her half-brother, she stood as tall as Talia, with a well-trained yet slick and very attractive body, with a medium sized bust. Unlike her brother, she was not the social type. She normally kept to herself, so much so many wondered if she looked down on those around her. She placed much of her effort on being a warrior worthy of serving her father and gaining his praise, such wishes coming mostly from her mother, who, given Alucard's role as King, played a large role in her education.

Behind her was a single elf soldier, with short hair, and the appearance of a boy of 18 years of age, and carried a rectangular box with him. Inside was one of the many prototypes based on the Helsing weapons. This was a sniper rifle. The reason for him to be given permission to carry such a weapon and to have been partnered with Lydia, was the natural talent for long ranged shooting that Alucard saw in him, and now wanted to cultivate. Alucard also saw in this a good opportunity to try and better his daughter's ability to interact with others. This elf's name was Alen Holaro, and even if he didn't look like it, he was a member of Black Hound.

After them, emerged the remaining elf soldiers, who numbered in 20 individuals, since no actual combat had been needed to see through their final conquest, and ultimate conquest of the continent.

* * *

In a small dark room, Zesshi calmly meditated. She was naked with her legs crossed, her aura emanating from her body. Said aura was being used to create "arms" which enveloped six small yet dense metal orbs, which now spun around her. She was naked for this exercise, which left her now well-trained body in full display.

During these 100 years she had actually trained, and through it achieve strength which some said could possibly match the King. Her body now displayed some new found musculature, with six well defined abs now adorning her abdomen, all the while keeping the athletic ability that had naturally come to her before. Of course, she also had made sure her body was still soft enough for Alucard to enjoy, since she doubted he would like a muscular and hard body to satisfy him at night.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, letting the outside light in, and four women entered the room. These women were her handmaidens, and highly skilled soldiers who worked as her bodyguards. They also helped her with her day to day situations and took care of the children when needed.

The first of these women was a dark elf, and former battle-slave of the Great Centaur Empire. She was well-endowed, with tanned skin, long black hair and olive eyes. Her name was Fayeth Omazana. The second was a female gorgon, a race of being with the lower body of snakes. Hers was like that of an anaconda. She was small breasted, her hair was brown with a slight tinge of green, her eyes were like those of the snake represented by her lower half. Her name was Neno, and she came from the Manasa Council State, which was ruler by a council of three gorgons.

The third woman of the group, was a werewolf, and was the second tallest of the group under Neno. Her long hair was snow white, her eyes blood red, and her skin was somewhat tanned. Like the others she had a very athletic body, with a medium sized bust. Her name was Nia Gunsche. She had come from the Capitoline Kingdom, from where many of the continent's werewolves originated from, and that had as the main religion the worship of such a being who had come to them about 600 years ago.

Nia had come accompanied by her husband, a man who at first had been assigned as her Watcher, the one responsible for looking over her when she transformed. However a relationship had flourished between them. A relationship that was made even stronger, when he was bitten by her during one of those nights, and turned into a werewolf himself.

The last member of the group, and the final one to have been added, was a former member of Black Hound. A girl named Alma Bella Von Fisher, that came from the Baharuth Empire. She was rather small in size, with shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes and small breasts.

"Did something happen?" Zesshi asked, still focused on her meditation.

"Lord Alucard has returned." Nia replied.

"And he brings news of his success." Fayeth added.

Zesshi gave them a small smile. This news did not surprise her at all. Dispelling her aura which caused the orbs to collapse to the floor, the Elf Queen got back to her feet. Which was followed by Alma handing her a robe to cover herself, which she accepted.

"Let's go and get ready, so we can properly welcome him." Zesshi instructed.

* * *

After having made the walk through the capital's main street, Alucard made no official announcement or speech, since one wasn't really needed, but he wasn't the one that did them. That duty feel on Zesshi. That being said, after having sent his men back to base, Alucard and his children made their ways to the throne room, where Zesshi, Talia, and Elion. The handmaidens were currently taking care of Arthur and Artoria. Alucard, Netero, and Lydia kneeled before their Queen, who carefully examined them, before speaking.

"I see that it didn't take much for them to go to our side." Zesshi coolly remarked.

"The Arachne matriarch was smart enough to understand where she and her people stood." Alucard informed.

"That's great to hear. It pleases me to know that after 100 years, we can finally get some rest." His Queen replied as she sighed.

"And rise, the three of you. There's no need for this." She added, to which the trio obliged.

"If we are indeed finished. I was wondering if I could go and see my beautiful wife. I am starting to miss her." Netero said with a chuckle.

"Of course. Someone will call upon you when I go to make the speech. I am sure you don't want to miss it." His mother said with a smile.

"Thank you." Taking a bow towards those present, Netero left to go see Kaia.

"You can also go, Lydia." Zesshi pointed out.

"I…" Lydia was about to say, but Alucard spoke over her.

"You can leave if you wish."

"Thank you, father." She said, before taking a bow and leaving.

"To be fair, I don't think we are done, yet. We still have to integrate them into the Sorcerer Kingdom." Alucard pointed out.

"True. But that process rarely forces us to stay away during long periods of time. Especially when we now have people trained for that purpose."

"Do remember, Zesshi, that it would be unfitting for Alucard to not be present during the initial meetings with the Arachne. Even if they have agreed to our terms." Talia said, to which Zesshi rolled her eyes at.

"I understand. I'm just happy that Alucard is back with us at full time, don't you agree?" The Queen growled back as she shot a glare at Talia.

"…" Talia was about to speak, when Alucard spoke over her.

"Ladies, calm down. To be fair, I never spent that much time away from any of you. But it is true that I have been hands on with this entire process, and that meant I spent a considerable time in the front lines. However, I am now here, and I don't intend to go anywhere anytime soon."

"Good. You are smart to please your Queen." Zesshi chuckled.

"I do my best." Alucard remarked with a grin.

"I hope you do your best ton…" Zesshi began, but Talia interrupted her.

"Please, do not go of topic, Alucard still needs to go meet Ainz-sama." Talia reminded.

"Ugh. F-Fine. Then, we should continue this later. Still, as always, good work out there." Zesshi said.

"Thank you. I can say the same thing to all of you. Good work." The Supreme Being remarked.

Alucard kissed both his women goodbye as he began to walk away, since he still needed to meet with Ainz. As she watched him leave, Zesshi let out a displeased growl. She had wanted to spend more time with him, since she did not like when he had to go out on the front lines and leave her behind. She also did not like it when he was on the front lines, and Hisada took this as an opportunity to partake of his company, whenever his mission brought him somewhere close to her.

To be honest Zesshi, even after 50 years, had not fully accepted this arrangement, even if Alucard was only with Hisada on few occasion. However, during those he would end up staying several days with her. Zesshi also did not like the fact she wasn't part of the decision. After all, she had been the one that convinced Alucard and Talia to be together, and she was the one that selected the women that sometimes shared a bed with her, Talia, and Alucard.

She had even allowed Clementine to join them from time to time, simply on the base that her relationship with Alucard had been changed when she was turned, and that during the process both had some strange experiences. Yet, in the end she had to live with it, since she had learned the meaning of their relationship, and how it benefited the Sorcerer Kingdom. She let out an exasperated sigh at how politics had intruded upon her personal life, but as Queen she would have to put up with it.

* * *

Walking through a newly created [Gate], Alucard found himself on one of the balconies of Ainz's mighty castle in E-Rantel, the capital of the Kingdom. In said balcony, which rested in the tallest tower of the castle, was a table with two chairs and two golden glasses. Ainz was already sitting in his chair, having taken on human form using his item. Looking at his glass thoughtfully, Alucard simply took the seat opposite to the Overlord and gave a relieved sigh.

"We did it." Alucard said, picking up his glass.

"Yeah… I guess we did." Ainz mumbled, picking up his own glass and looking at the horizon.

"You don't sound that satisfied with it." The vampire pointed out, taking a small sip from his drink.

"I-I am. I just can't believe it to be honest. To think that we arrived in this world little over 100 years ago, and not only are we still alive, but we rule all of this continent."

"And have made quite the lives for ourselves in the process."

"Indeed. I would never have imagined too live in such conditions, before we came here." Ainz said.

"You can say that again. So, do we toast?" Alucard asked, raising his glass towards his friend.

"What should we toast to?" The Overlord asked.

"How should I know? You're the one in charge after all." The vampire laughed.

"Fair enough… Here's a toast to our continued success, and may we have a 100 more."

"I can toast to that."

Both glasses clashed, and the duo drank down their respective drinks, stopping only when the glasses were almost finished, before placing them back on the table.

"What next?" Ainz asked inquisitively.

"Heh. Some rest?"

"Outside of that." The Overlord chuckled in reply.

"I would say… we stop with this continent, and properly solidify our rule over it."

"Eeeh~... I can toast to that." Ainz laughed, as their glasses clashed once again...

* * *

 **Author's Note: Welp! That's about it for now. I hope everyone had enjoyed this last chapter, and with it the rest of this story. Even if you haven't enjoyed it, I thank you for taking the time to read it anyways.**

 **I would like to thank about all of those that took their times to post reviews, since those are always good as a way to see what I am doing right, what I can do different, or what I could do if I was running out of ideas. Also, for helping me with part of this story, and for editing some of the last chapters, I would like to thank MadDan90. You should check out some of his work. He's pretty good, IMO.**

 **Well, in terms of announcements, I can now say that there will be a sequel to this story sometime in the future, taking place after this time skip. Along with this, I may also post an M-Rated series, featuring several M-Rated encounters between the characters. There's also the possibly of some other types of side-stories featuring Alucard and the gang in other scenarios. We'll see what happens. Until then, please check out my currently ongoing Bleach/Overlord crossover fanfic, "God of a New World". This is pta917, signing out.**


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